


The Royal Invitation

by aweirdkindofyellow, scream_tears



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: F/M, Princess - Freeform, Tour, kingdom - Freeform, royal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22790893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aweirdkindofyellow/pseuds/aweirdkindofyellow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/scream_tears/pseuds/scream_tears
Summary: Aerowyn Matilde George Rothchester might seem like a very long name, but it definitely is not for a royal in the Kingdom of Dalewin.After her grandfather, the beloved king, passed away, Aerowyn (also known as Winny) is called back from her art school in New York. She's thrown back into her royal duties, expected to know what to do.But with the Royal advisor on tour with the new king, Winny is left to figure things out with his stepson. The only problem, he has no idea what he's doing, after all he's only the lead singer in a band.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

I dipped the brush lightly into the bright orange paint. After carefully brushing it up against the palette to remove the excess I didn't need, I looked back up at the canvas. By now, some parts of the painting had dried down while other areas were still tacky to touch, leaving an uneven patch of different levels of luster. It was almost done, there were just a few touches left.

The mix of bright oranges and yellows against the blues and greens were supposed to make the atmosphere light. The faint hints of abstract people were supposed to feel breezy. But all I wanted to do was grab a paint brush and smudge it all with a dark blood red.

This whole place felt too heavy. It felt wrong. I wasn't supposed to be here.

This was my library, but it wasn't my library. Yes, I was painting here, I had been painting here since I was a little girl. As soon as I could hold a felt-tip pen and imagine things, I would climb up on that heavy leather chair behind the desk and start scribbling away. It always felt like home, but now I could feel the cold air moving over my skin.

The library did not feel the same.

I let my brush push up against the painting I was working on. Slowly, I dragged it down, ending the stroke so that it was tapered. The light hitting it through the large floor-to-ceiling window highlighted exactly what I had just done. I should have been satisfied, and I was, but the constant monotone view was constantly nagging in the back of my mind.

I leaned backwards to try and view the entire picture as a whole. Although it did what I wanted it to, there was still something missing. I sighed and put the paint brush between my teeth before running my fingers through my blonde hair to put it up in a messy bun. There was no doubt that I had gotten some paint on the ends and from tucking locks behind my ear while working. But what was paint in my hair if it was all over my hands and clothes as well?

I knew that my appearance technically wasn't acceptable, but it was practically a constant state I lived in whenever I was working on a piece. Did it really matter? I was by myself in the library. Nobody was just going to walk in and it wouldn't suddenly disgrace my entire family. And even then, everybody who worked at the castle was sworn to secrecy. It was part of their contracts.

After I managed to get my hair to stay out of my face, I cocked my head to the side, hoping to find what was missing. But maybe it wasn't the painting. Maybe it was me.

Here I was in the library, my grandfather's library.

But now it was mine.

It had only been two days since he passed away mere rooms from here. While it had been expected for quite a while now, it was still a shock when my parents called me to come home. The entire country was in mourning. People from all over were trickling into our home. Some had never even met my grandfather but were obligated to come.

It was too strange. The passing of my grandpa, my best friend, wasn't supposed to be such a public thing. Yet that was just how our family worked. It had been like this for generations. That's what happened in a monarchy. The king's funeral wasn't a thing for just friends and family, it was a thing for anybody with any type of status and-slash-or relation. To me, my grandpa had died, to everybody else their king had died.

My dad was busy taking over duties, my mom was swamped with funeral planning she had taken on to reduce the pressure on my dad, my little brother still had his classes to go to, so I was here all by myself. I had my painting, I had all my art. Technically I was supposed to get ready to take over more responsibilities as well, getting ready to one day take over from my dad. But I never wanted any of that. Or at least definitely not now. All I wanted was to live in a small studio and pursue my art forever now.

But then again I also realised that my position was the reason why I was able to do what I was. Back in New York I was Matilde George, art student who occasionally gets paint all over herself and it able to go to the coffee shop on the block in her pajamas without too much judgement. But in the Kingdom of Dalewin I was Princess Aerowyn Matilde George Rothchester. I was expected to make appearances, act and dress a certain way, be around particular people.

There wasn't much I could do, but having gotten a taste at normal life had spoiled everything for me.

I was hoping painting would make me feel a little better. And it did, it truly did. But still. This room just felt so cold. Especially when the cool breeze from an opening door hit the back of my neck. I immediately turned around. Nobody was supposed to come in here. It was my granddad's personal space, then it was our shared space, and now it was my hideout.

Some guy with brown shaggy hair and the most casual clothes was standing in the doorway. He looked like somebody I would come across in New York, like a 'commoner'. It was pretty rare to see anything of the like in the castle, especially at times like this when there was so much company.

"Can I help you?" I raised an eyebrow as his eyes looked around all the shelves full of books in bewilderment with a hint of stress.

His gaze fell upon me and the glimmer of uncertainty was replaced with a confident smirk. "Well, I was lost, but it seems like I came to just the right place."

I cringed internally as he winked and closed the door behind himself. This was my place, though, I wasn't going to let him drive me away. "Who are you?"

"Alex," he responded and started walking in my direction. His accent was way too American to be from here, "Alex Gaskarth."

"Huh," I frowned and pressed my paintbrush into my palette to grab some more paint, "never heard of 'Gaskarth' before."

"It's my dad's name," he started explaining as he sat on the desk that my grandpa had chosen himself many years ago, before I was even born. "My step-dad is advisor to the new king. Mom married him many many years ago, when I was six."

"Your step-dad is Garry?" I looked past my canvas to see Alex was already staring right at me and made accidental eye contact with him.

"Yeah! So you've heard of him!"

"I didn't know Garry had a step-son," I shrugged and turned my attention back to my painting.

"I am the one and only!" He threw his hands up as if it were some great achievement.

Garry was one of the most humble people I had ever met and had the pleasure of working with. It was strange to think this boy leaving his butt print on my grandpa's desk was raised by him.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked, still not understanding why in the world Garry's step-son would suddenly be here now. I had never met or seen him before, unlike many other children the other advisors had.

"Well, somebody's gotta help keep things running smoothly here while Garry is out of the King's coronation tour," he said so matter-of-factly that it made me feel incompetent, while I knew that wasn't true.

"You?" I snorted.

"I'm the only one Garry trusts with all his heart. I've still got a few days before I've gotta straighten up. Now, I can still have as much fun as I could possibly want."

"I'm glad to hear that you won't be acting like this when you start the job. Doing this around the wrong people can get you in serious trouble."

"What's your name anyways?" He asked, confirming the suspicion I had that he had no idea who I was.

"Some people like to call me Aerowyn Matilde George Rothchester," I said as nonchalantly as possible.

"I've heard that name somewhere before." He jumped back up and clapped his hands together. "As much as I enjoyed this, I do actually need to go somewhere. Can you tell me which direction the west wing is?"

"The west."

"Well, yeah, but would you be able to point me in the right direction?"

I pointed straight ahead of me, meaning he'd have to turn to the left as soon as he left the room.

"Thanks, _princess,_ " he winked as he slipped out of the room. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Alex's POV**

I brushed the tips of my fingers against the banister, walking up the large spiralling staircase to where I recalled the library being. The walls were painted in a deep teal, embellished with golden patterns and trims, signifying the signature colours of the kingdom. 

The south corridor in itself was by far the greatest. Having had the King's library and other rooms among it meant that each alcove withheld a painting of the generation from the period. Dating back to 1673, I eventually found myself far enough down the corridor to stop at a certain painting in particular.

A sheepish grin adorned her pink lips, enhancing her lightly tanned complexion whilst her long blonde locks were tied back into a ponytail. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the King's neck whilst he tilted her crown slightly and grinned down at her. I smiled weakly at the two of them, somewhat understanding how she must be feeling.

I pushed through the door beside the alcove, finding myself in the same room I had stumbled into the day before. With tall shelves teeming with books of all kinds and rays of sunlight pouring in, it was a given that this, of all places, would be her hideout.

I strolled through the small walkway separating the books from the main area, eventually finding myself leant against the far bookcase, admiring the scene at hand.

She shuffled around, carefully placing each of her canvases in the far corners of the room out of the way, clearing a floor space in the middle. Her assortment of brushes and paints were soon placed onto the desk in no particular order and she fell down into the large crimson chair, spinning softly as though to contemplate her next move. I smirked as her eyes met with mine, moving from the bookcase to the stool as she continued to stare at me, her eyebrows arched.

"Can I help you, Gaskarth?" Aerowyn asked, her Dalewinian accent shielded by what I recognised to be American. I couldn't help but question her history.

"Nope." I replied; she rolled her eyes, leaning back to the point where she was submerged in the leather material. "But maybe I could help you?..."

She perked up at my remark, glancing at each aspect of my face before trailing her eyes over my body. I felt judged. Her eyes were like sharp needles, poking at each imperfection she found.

"Actually, you can." She stood up, leaning against the desk as she began arranging the colours, occasionally glancing back up at me beneath her eyelashes. I stared back at her–a proud smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she finally stood up. "I need a body."

"A body? I mean, the one you've got there is just fine." I winked, playing off the dooshe-bag attitude that I had been so flawless with at home–she rolled her eyes again. Clearly not so much here.

"I need a body to paint on. Your body." She declared, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she did. I surveyed the way her thumb caressed the side of her cheek, and for a second, I envied it.

"Okay…"

"So you up for it?" The grin against her lips was enough of a persuasion to say yes. I nodded.

Before I arrived I had been warned, particularly because of my history, that I had to be on my best behaviour. 'The princess is a lady', Garry insisted. Never did I ever have stripping down into my boxers for her to paint on me in the agenda. This girl before me was far from what I had been told. She was human.

Before long I was seated again, my exposed legs pressing against the cold surface of the wooden stool. I rubbed the back of my neck instinctively, watching as she began mixing the colours she wanted.

The first stroke was strange. The bristles brushed delicately against my skin leaving a trail of gooey substance behind. I looked up at Aerowyn, though she was too occupied with her art to notice. I watched the way her eyebrow raised when she questioned the direction the brush moved, and the way the tip of her tongue stuck out of the end of her mouth as she concentrated on the task at hand. I chuckled lightly, breathing in as she gripped my wrist in order to keep my arm still. Her touch was gentle and caressing, her fingers soft against my skin.

"Do you do this a lot? " I asked, keeping my eye on the brush strokes as I attempted to break the silence engulfing us.

"Not the way I used to." She replied vaguely.

"How so?" Part of me knew I was breaking the rules and overstepping the boundaries by pushing for an answer, but I was literally sat in my underwear–the line was crossed a long time ago.

"Long story short, I'm an art student and so my artwork tends to be less courageous and more... simplistic, for it's time limits." I nodded, understanding the time pressure that comes with making art. Occasionally the studio would ask for another song and want it in by the next day, so it tended to be random and extremely stereotypical as far as lyrics were concerned.

"Well I thin-" I trailed off, staring down at her hand as it pressed against my chest. In the process of a short conversation she had finished the basis of my arm, eventually trailing up to my shoulder.

"You think what?" She mumbled smugly, the side of her cheek arching as she tried to hide her smirk. I gulped, noting that she was reading my body just as much as I was trying to hide it.

"I think that as soon as you graduate and get away from the restrictions of school, you'll have more of an opportunity to create art like this. Art that you love." Saved it.

Silence engulfed us once more, the heavy breathing and movement of bristles being the only sound emanating from the room.

Within an hour she had completed my chest and arm, deciding she'd do it in segments and just piece it together when complete. I stood in front of the bookcase, trying out some of the many poses I had learned from all the photoshoots I'd attended. I guess being in a band has its perks after all.

I pulled my shirt over the now dry and crumbling paint, fastening the buttons as I looked over at Aerowyn beneath my lashes. She was shuffling around again, returning everything back to its original position–the art supplies returning back to draw.

She fell down into the crimson chair, spinning slowly as her laptop began to load. Inserting the memory stick from the camera into the laptop, she glanced over the screen, smiling weakly as her eyes caught mine. 

"Want to see the pictures?" Her voice was warm and soothing. A feeling of relief washed over me as she actually spoke, beckoning me over to the screen. I crouched down beside her, admiring the art she had created with nothing but paints and my skin.

"They're amazing. You're amazing." I stuttered, peering over at Aerowyn as her cheeks burned a blush red. I smiled smugly, turning back to the pictures as she scrolled through.

"I like that one," she pointed to one picture in particular. I was stood in front of the bookcase, officially getting bored of the shoot, so I pulled the funniest face achievable. I just happened to make even Aerowyn laugh in the process.

"It's a shame I didn't steal the camera. I'm an expert as far as photography goes." I added smugly, grinning over at Aerowyn as she rolled her eyes.

"Your so pompous." She moaned, smiling playfully. It was just like the portrait–young, curious and full of innocence. 

"I do try." I winked, smirking as I stood up from my crouched position beside her. She spun to face me, staring up at my towering figure. "I should go and get cleaned up in time for dinner."

"Of course," she nodded understandingly. It was around an hour before everyone was expected downstairs for dinner, including myself seen as though there was lot's to discuss with Gary and the king.

"Goodbye, Princess." I added, attempting to read the emotion hidden behind the facade. Nothing.

"Goodbye, Alex." 

I turned on my heel, heading though the small hallway and out of the large doors. I hurried along to the west wing, bee-lining for my room in a rush to get cleaned up. I wasn't usually this eager to attend formal events like this one, but it meant seeing Aerowyn again. It was about time I got a taste of the princess they were all talking about.


	3. Chapter 3

**Winny’s POV:**

I was stood beside my father. Together, we were looking out over the sea of people in the ballroom. It felt exceptionally strange standing there in an area usually used for celebration with a funeral coming up so soon. But we had to accommodate all our guests in some way or another. At least everybody was acting different to usual. There wasn’t any loud music playing and people weren’t dancing. This was just a reception before dinner. Anybody who was relevant or important was here now. It was custom here for a royal death to be a large long event.

The dress I was wearing had been made in quite a hurry. Usually they’d take a few weeks or even months to get me fitted before a big event, but once again this time it was different. I had only arrived a few days ago and they had started on my mom first. Honestly, I would have just pulled out a dress from my closet, but I couldn’t even try that anymore. Eyes were on me. I might not have been on the throne, but people were now watching closely for the future.

I couldn’t really complain though. I got clothes designed and made especially for me. What person didn’t like that? The black dress cinched at the right height and the right tightness around my waist. Further down, the hem of the flowing skirt stopped just above the ground, measured and cut precisely. And then the lace short sleeves didn’t even look bunched up either. Not even I could buy something like this in a store.

My dad raised up his glass just the slightest bit, grabbing the small spoon from the polished silver tray a servant was holding. The clinking sound of metal hitting crystal glass rang through the entire room, silencing everything and everyone. All attention was turned to my dad, meaning I was in complete view. Luckily all I had to do that day was stand there for support.

“Now that we are all here,” my father started, his voice somehow reaching the furthest corners of the hall, which was something I had yet to learn, “I would like to thank you all for being here. Although our king, my father, had been ill for a while, his passing still came as a shock. I will forever be grateful to every one of you.”

As he held up his glass everybody with a drink did so back. Most took a sip and then went back to their previous conversations.

The speech might have seemed so short and insignificant, a nuisance if anything. But that wasn’t the case at all. This was exactly how things were done. It was some left over thing back from centuries ago. Alliances, partnerships, and deals were all tense and at risk of crumbling when the king died. It was up to the next king to keep them going. Nobels from around the country and continent would come out for the funeral. The new king would have to show his loyalty without seeming vulnerable and easy to manipulate. It was an art, really. How do you show loyalty and grief without seeming weak?

It was custom for the king not to have to move to talk to people at events like these. Everybody who wanted to speak to him came up to him. It meant that constant conversations were held. I was there at his side the entire time. Technically, I didn’t have to, but it looked the best. Standing with him meant that I got to listen in on everything and so understood the politics for in the future. But showing constant interest would eventually get tiring especially since I didn’t really get much of a say. The occasional people who did include me were refreshing and definitely got a stamp of approval in my dad’s book.

Eventually a man just a few years older than my dad and a guy around my age came up to us. I had seen the man before, but never this person with him. I could only assume it was his son. They both had a very similar bone structure, deep set eyes and a slightly sloped nose. Their suits had a few medals which I once used to know all the meanings of but not anymore.

“Your Royal Highness, your Majesty.” They both bowed.

“Larnamont!” My dad greeted back as I did a subtle curtsy, holding his arms out to show he was literally welcoming them with open arms.

“I wanted to introduce my eldest son, Lysander,” Larnamont gestured towards the boy, smiling proudly and with some sort of expectancy.

My dad gave a small nod while I held out my hand and waited for Lysander to shake it.

“Nice to meet you.” I smiled brightly as he took it. As I went to look into his eyes, my gaze flickered past Alex in the background.

He was standing there taking a glass of some sort of brown-toned liquor from one of the waitresses. Coincidentally, he was already looking right back at me. Rather than immediately breaking away his gaze, like I did, he continued to stare and took a sip from his drink. He was one strange man. Luckily, over my time as a princess, I had had to deal with many different types of people. There was nothing I couldn’t ignore.

Larnamont really did come over to us just to introduce Lysander. There wasn’t really any other small talk, but it also wasn’t necessary. Now wasn’t exactly the right time for that. People just paid respects, any more could only be considered rude. So, Larnamont and Lysander left us soon after. However, I knew I would have to find them later. An introduction was made after all.

Luckily, the next person who came up to us wasn’t as much of a stranger. It meant I could relax a little bit and not have to worry as much about my duties and composure. This man had taught me a lot and continued to do so. He was more like an uncle figure who still needed to be treated a bit more officially. He was the one and only Garry.

“Your Royal Highness, your Majesty,” he greeted and bowed just like everybody else.

“Garry!” I grinned and leaned forward to give him a half hug and a respectful kiss on the cheek. Strangers were either greeted by handshake or curtsey, friends were greeted in a more intimate way.

“So how have you been holding up?” He asked with a sympathetic tone. I hadn’t seen him yet since I came in from New York.

I looked up at my dad for him to answer. I could only imagine what it must have been like to suddenly become a ruler. The pressure must have been immense and all the jobs overbearing. One day I was going to have to do the same, but for now my dad was going through it.

“He’s asking you,” my dad looked down at me with a paternal smile.

“Well, you know how I always have to acclimatise myself again when I come back,” I responded, my answer directed at Garry. I knew he was asking about my grandfather’s death, but I could hardly show my feelings about that right now. “It’s great to see you again.”

“Likewise.” He gave me a slow single courtly nod. “Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other for very long. I’ll be going with your dad on his tour.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“I’ll be leaving somebody who I trust dearly to take over and help: my step son. He should be around here somewhere,” Garry started to look around him, but only briefly as to not attract attention.

“I’ve met Alex,” I told him, causing a smile to form on his lips.

“Really! I hope he has been behaving.”

I started nodding, but then my eyes fell on Alex now all over the waitress from before. He was standing super close to her, his arm at her waist, his nose in her hair as she giggled. I immediately stopped my nodding and directed my eyes at Garry again, deciding not to tattletale.

“He has,” I calmed his worry before my shock became too apparent,” although I must say he’s one peculiar fellow. He did help me with an art piece I was working on.”

“Well, you guys must get along just fine then. He’s quite the artsy type himself. He’s a musician actually.”

“That explains a lot,” I laughed. Not only did it explain his, what seemed like, his strange talent for posing in front of a camera, but it also explained his tendency to be a flirt.

Right at that moment my mom walked up to us and stood at my dad’s other side. Her dress was also black to represent the mourning, only her was a lot tighter and more formal. She was older and the queen now after all.

“If you won’t mind, I’ll go mingle with some of the guests now,” I announced as I looked at both my mom and dad. Now that she was here I was no longer obliged to stay at the king’s side.

“You go do that.” My dad winked and dismissed that.

I didn’t know exactly who I was going to go to, but it soon became clear that Alex wasn’t even an option. He was still all over that waitress and she was still under his spell. Only, this time, they decided to make it a bit more private. I saw Alex take lead and slip out of the room, holding the waitress’ hand and pulling her along. If I had been back in New York or not in public, I would have definitely rolled my eyes.

The next familiar face I looked for was my brother. He was somewhere further in the back speaking to my cousins. They were all younger than me, so they always got a long together a little better. It also didn’t help that I usually was in the study with private tutors and teachers getting a special education to prepare me for my inevitable future job.

Lucky for me, just as I was making my way over to them, I noticed Lysander standing by himself trying to catch my attention. He already had a drink in one hand and picked up another as he gestured that it was for me. So, I smiled politely and slowly floated over to him so nobody would mistake my actions as eager.

“Thank you very much.” I gently took the glass of wine from him, careful not to let the fragile material shatter.

“It’s been a real honour being allowed to join on such an occasion.” He did the traditional thing of being grateful and loyal, but it made for a very difficult conversation.

I didn’t know how to respond other than to accept what he said. There was nothing in particular he was beneficial for either except for the fact that he was the heir in the Larnamont family. A good connection to keep, but I had nothing to thank him directly for. He was still learning the ropes of his family. As was I, of course, but it was still different.

Fortunately, Lysander wasn’t as strict in traditions and rules as his father. He could also clearly sense that this silence was just a second away from turning really awkward.

“You know, my father has told me many stories about this castle,” he confessed. “Ever since I was a little boy, I tried to imagine what it was like. But it’s even more spectacular than I imagined.”

“It has been quite a nice place to grow up in.” I smiled softly, remembering all the good times I had with my brother when we were much younger. I had to remind myself not to take it for granted. As much as I longed for the simple life in New York, I was very lucky.

“There’s so much history here, it’s fascinating.” He looked up at the ceiling and took some time to admire the paintings and gold leaf.

“This room was only built in the 17th century, but there are parts left over from the original 11th-century castle.”

He looked at me with wide eyes. “Only 17th century! Eleventh– I can’t even imagine that amount of time. Wow.”

“I actually have a whole collection of books all about the history of the castle, all the way from the beginning. I could lend you a couple.”

“You would do that?”

I chuckled quietly and nodded. “I rarely meet anybody with such interest. Who would I be to withhold all that information from you.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Let me go get them now before other duties sweep me away.”

I excused myself and slipped through the door Alex had sneaked out just shortly before. Although the castle was quite large, luckily my library wasn’t too far away. The grand staircase was just through the short corridor with two other doors. My heels clicked loudly on the steps, echoing off the walls with paintings.

The corridors felt even more empty than usual knowing that everybody was collected in the ballroom.

After just three minutes, my hand was grazing the gold-toned handle on the old wooden door again. I could still remember how I could barely open it as a kid; I always had to lean against it or pull with all my weight, it was that heavy. But it was also secure. Now I could open that door in one swift movement.

Although I wished I couldn’t. I wished I could have opened it slowly to shield myself from what was inside.

There were already people in my library. But they weren’t there reminiscing about good times with my grandpa or enjoying a good book. The two bodies were completely naked and intertwined on the custom desk my grandpa had gotten made.

“Oh my god!” I screamed, not bothering to close the door behind myself like I usually would. “What the actual fuck is this?!”

“Oh, shit,” Alex gasped as he looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with me.

“Are you fucking shitting me!”

Alex immediately removed himself from the girl he had swooned downstairs. He stood there frozen while the girl tried to grab all her clothes as quickly as possible while simultaneously hiding her face.

“Oh, come on, Elsie,” I scoffed, feeling the rage now course through my blood like fire. “I fucking know who you are. I saw you all over each other downstairs.”

“I-I’m so s-sorry,” she stammered, sounding like she was on the verge of tears, “p-please don’t fire me.”

I didn’t say a word in response to her plea. Although I had the authority to fire any of the help, I had never actually done so before. I was seriously considering it. She was supposed to be downstairs doing her job. But I couldn’t risk it. I’d have to explain my grounds and it would ruin Garry.

I just waited until she scurried away with all her clothes clutched to her chest. With her now gone, I tried my best to walk past Alex calmly and collected as I refused to even look in his direction. There was somewhere I actually had to be, and I wasn’t going to get distracted any further from my goal. That didn’t mean I was actually okay now, though.

“You, umm, you look good,” Alex told me awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t get to tell you earlier.”

“Fuck off,” I seethed and pushed away the rolling ladder to have access to the first book.

“Oh, umm–”

“No.” I stopped him as I pulled out the book and spun around to look at him. “Shut up.”

I was planning to walk out of these without looking back, but when I walked past Alex for the second time that day, I changed my mind. I wasn’t done. He didn’t get to walk away unscathed.

“My grandfather fucking dies and breaks breaks this stupid shithole of a tradition. I get to inherit one thing. He fucking leaves me behind this library. And now you have to come and ruin it. Go suck a dick,” I spat and continued my path, the sound of the heavy door shutting rushing down the hallways.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alex's POV:**

This wasn't exactly the first time I was in this situation. Call me a play-boy but there had been more than one account where someone–mainly the other members of my band–had walked in on me during one of my one-night-stands. It was like an annual event, only it happened more than once a week. Aerowyn, however, was not going to let me off as easily as they did. Maybe it was her sudden use of profanities, or the way she stormed out of the room with her lips turned in disgust and her eyebrows arched in disbelief, but it seemed I had offended her a little more than the boys.

I tugged at the golden door knob, closing the door to my room behind me as I made my way down the corridor in hope of finding one man in particular. From what I had gathered, he was due to be doing his rounds downstairs anytime now and that's where I was aimlessly heading to, hopefully avoiding the royal family in the process.

The task itself wasn't too difficult. Half way into the first room I found him tucked away in a corner, scribbling down random notes and rearranging the schedules of each member of the family. With more royals here than usual, his work amount had almost doubled making me glad I only had Princess Aerowyn's schedule to worry about.

"Garry, hey." I mumbled, taking a seat beside him as he glanced up at me with a weak smile. 

"What's up?" He replied, for the first time since I had gotten here he spoke to me in something of a casual manner. Every word muttered in this castle had to be clear and filtered, making me stand out from the crowd even more than I already did. I'm not exactly a prince, or a duke, more like an irresponsible singer, well-rounded to some extent.

"I was wondering if I could get a look at Aerowyn's schedule for today. Just so I can get ahead of all the responsibilities and whatnot." I replied with something resembling a smile, attempting to make this seem as reputable as possible.

"Sure," he handed me a tattered sheet, peppered in scribbles and crossing-outs. "That's everything you need to know. The time, the place, how she's getting there, who she's with." I nodded slowly, skimming through for today's date and time. Apparently my luck was on point because she had just left the castle in order to visit one of the local schools, and wasn't due to be back for another hour at the most. I jumped up, thanking Garry for his help before departing.

I detoured to the kitchen on my way to Aerowyn's library, grabbing a bucket and sponge as I did. I figured the one way I could apologise was by doing something I had yet to do in my twenty five years of living…

The library was empty, as expected, allowing me to plug my phone into the speakers system set up in the corner. I pulled the stool over to the desk, placing the bucket of lukewarm water down before plunging the sponge inside.

Running the damp sponge over the polished oak surface, I spotted a small crevice indented deep into the corner of the desk. The item itself was evidently old, and most likely held its own history within its cracks and faults, creating a certain enigma around the story it told. Whether it be due to the excitement of that bubbly little girl and her wild adventures with her grandfather, or that mellow artist and her mass of canvases and equipment, I questioned its history.

"And here I was thinking you got the hint the first time around," she scoffed. I dropped the sponge in the water, turning to face her as she stood, towering over me with her arms crossed over her chest. Her lips were turned at the sight of me–her eyes watching meticulously.

All the hatred aside, she was a princess. Her dress was of the deepest green, embroidered with silver patterns and swirls, and her hair perfectly curled, each section having been deliberately pulled back into a clip.

"You look good," I repeated cautiously.

She dropped her gaze, turning her attention to the bucket beside my feet. Her eyes trailed back to the desk, observing the streaks of light as the sun reflected against the remaining water–anyone could put two and two together.

"Are you trying to make a point?" Her voice was clear, demanding. I winced at the lack of emotion.

"No." I answered instantly, and frankly more suspicious than I was already behaving. "Can we take a walk?"

"And why would I take a walk with you?" She asked bitterly.

"Please?" There was a certain desperation to my word. A need, rather than a want.

She rolled her eyes, turning on her heel as she marched out of the room. I grabbed my jacket from the chair, pulling it on as I slipped out of the heavy doors closing behind her. She looked at me impatiently, as though I was the one who had been raised in this palace and not the other way around. It wasn't long before she took the hint, leading the two of us to the end of the corridor where the south balcony stood. With the landscape of the garden in all its glory, the view of the sun setting each evening was just a bonus.

"If you're here to give some half-assed apology, save it," she murmured, continuing to stare out at the garden. "I don't need your pity."

"I don't pity you," I chuckled lightly, "I'm an idiot. I didn't realise how much the library meant to you. I figured it had been passed down through the generations but I saw it as just another quiet space-"

"It is another quiet space," she interrupted sardonically.

"Yes, your quiet space. It was wrong of me to use it for that reason." She turned towards me, narrowing her eyes as she attempted to depict my expression.

"So you're apologising?" She asked, her voice mellow yet bleak.

"I'm making amends, assuming you don't want to spend two months with someone you hate."

"I don't hate you, Alex." I raised an eyebrow and she giggling lightly. "I'm in slight annoyance with you. The library was my grandfather's. You really infuriated me."

"Like I said, I'm an idiot. But I get it. We all have things that are sentimental to us."

"Exactly. The library is like a room of memories. I kind of need them more than ever recently," she mumbled under her breath – I nodded in reply. We turned back at the view, the sun beaming down on us as we stood in silence.

The palace itself was as modern as 17th century buildings got. With updated fountains and slick cut hedges, it could easily be mistaken as new. Occasionally someone walked passed, moving from building to building or just watering the plants, but aside from that it was deserted. I assumed there was usually a community within the grounds due to the way Garry spoke about it from day to day, but it happened to be on hold due to the recent tragedy.

"So do you forgive me?" I asked bluntly; Aerowyn turning again to look me in the eye.

"As you said, I don't want to spend two months with someone I hate, so I suppose I can tolerate you. But no more sex in the library, or anywhere I could walk in on you. That's gross." She scrunched her nose slightly, smiling weakly as her eyes met my own.

"I promise you'll never have to see me even partially naked again." I replied with a smirk.

"But who am I going to paint on?" Her lips curled into a pout–the genuine disappointment gleaming in her eyes. I laughed ostentatiously, somewhat thankful for the friendzone. 

Soon enough Augustus, the brother I had somehow managed to avoid this entire time, appeared, asking for Aerowyn's help with something above my pay grade. She, of course, said yes, saying her goodbyes before leaving me on the balcony alone. I soon made my way back to my room, pulling my vibrating phone from my back pocket as the eleventh call came through in the space of an hour.

"You do realise if I don't answer I'm ignoring you, right?" I asked, pushing the phone to my ear as the scream of 'finally' rang through the speakers.

"Yes, I do, but it's urgent." He explained, his voice laced in sarcasm like the ten missed calls didn't already tell me that. For Jack, the mass of missed calls wasn't unusual, though this time he seemed more eager than usual.

"What's up?" I asked, partially expecting some stupid reply that was bound to come out of Jack's mouth at some point or another.

"We just got an email from Mark, as in Mark Hoppus, as in Blink-182, as in the best band ever," he ranted at speed. "Their support act dropped out and they want us to cover."

"Shit, really?"

"Yes! The guys are all in, it's just down to you. What d'ya say?"

"You've already emailed back, haven't you?" I asked, already knowing the reply.

"Of course." 

I could picture the lopsided smile painted against his lips as he uttered those simple words, and now, thanks to his impatience, I had something else to deal with other than keeping Aerowyn on my good side.

"Why did I even question it?" I asked, shaking my head as I fell down into the chair that just happened to come with the room I had been acquainted with during my stay.

"I really don't know. Either way you gotta start packing. We need to be on the west coast, with a singer, in two weeks time."

"I'll sort it."

The call ended and I leaned back into the leather chair. For an opportunity like this I figured I would be slightly more buzzed by the chance, only I was somewhat unexcited. I guess the royal life was officially rubbing off on me… or maybe it's just the girl.


	5. Chapter 5

**Winny's POV:**

I breathed in shakily as I walked past the many pews. All of them were empty right now, but it wasn't going to stay that way for long. It felt like what had been many days since my grandfather passed away, but the day of his funeral had finally arrived. For the past few days, people from the public had access to the church and casket to pay their respects. There were constantly guards in every corner to keep an eye on people, but luckily nobody tried anything. It was all closed to the public again and it was time for the actual funeral. All the people who had traveled from close and far, many of who were staying with us, were here.

It was going to be one full church.

Because I was direct family, I sat all the way in the front, along with the rest of my family. The last time I had been in this church, I sat one pew further back. Back then, we had all gathered for my youngest aunt's wedding. That was one happy occasion. It was so strange to think how different things were then. Everything was decorated in such an uplifting way, beautiful pink flowers all around, the sun shining brightly. Now, I was just glad that my grandpa still had been able to see his youngest daughter get married and even walk her down the aisle. That was just when his health problems started, before they were anything serious.

And now here we were. White flowers to symbolise death. People in all black. Dark sombre faces.

I, myself, was wearing yet another black dress, plain and down to my knees. This time a hat was thrown into the mix, but that didn't pep up the situation in any way. There was no other way to feel right now.

I was sad, yet also over being sad already. It was like my body had used up all the sad that I had left in me. It was more like a numbness. All I could do was listen and stare ahead. It wasn't denial, I knew what had happened, and I knew it was reality. It wasn't like I was trying to live in my own world. Maybe it was just all the training I had. Show just the right amount of emotion. Too little, and you seem heartless, too much and you seem out of control, But still, nothing can actually prepare you for anything like this.

Sitting there, listening to the pastor do his talk, and even listen to my dad give a speech, I felt like I had only been there for a couple of minutes. In reality, it was much longer than just those few minutes. But this was exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned the numbness. I just tuned everything out. Maybe it was just a new level of sadness, because when I woke up from my trance as everybody started moving around me, I felt a single tear on my cheek, which I wiped away quickly.

I looked around in slight confusion to find that the pallbearers (who were some of our most loyal guards), were busy picking up the casket. The ceremony was about the move outside as we completed the burial. We all had to follow outside where my grandfather was going to be buried in our special plot. The graveyard here already wasn't open for public burials, but our family still had a special area separate from the other notable people, such as important scientists. We didn't do the whole thing of being buried inside the church.

As the front row, we had to follow behind the pallbearers. I just did exactly as the rest of my family, who all copied my dad. We stood up and slowly shuffled down the pew until we reached the aisle and also continued down that. Pew after pew joined behind us as we made our way to the back. Everybody was silent, especially us. We weren't even uttering a peep. The only sound was that of feet shuffling and the occasional whisper of people further at the back.

The strangely cold air for late spring hit my face and bare legs as we stepped outside. I focused on making sure I stayed in rhythm as we started down the marble steps. Messing up now would mean more than just a quick trip. It would mean having no space to balance and face planting right into the people in front of me before tumbling to the ground. I did not need that, especially not on a day like this.

My heels dug into the grass after we left the gravel path to go to the grave. It had rained this morning, leaving the dirt the slightest bit muddy. Luckily, the weather had turned and my grandpa didn't have to be buried in such horrible weather. He got to take in the sunshine one last time before he was left in the dark.

I could see the many cameras pointed at us from beyond the gate. Although I knew they were going to be there, it still made a shiver run down my spine. Even on a day like this, I still had to be aware of my every move. One wrong decision, and people would be talking. At least we weren't as famous as the British royals, or else the whole world would feel entitled to their opinion.

We all moved to stand around the grave that had been dug. I wasn't all the way at the front this time. I didn't want to be. I wanted to stay hidden behind my dad and Garry for just a little while longer. Everybody kept joining around, close family and friends with us, others creating a semi-circle around us. Somehow, I found my brother on my right side, and Alex on my left.

All I could do was stare through the small gap between my dad's and Garry's shoulders. Soon, I was going to actually have to do something, and I was dreading that moment now. I was afraid that if I got up there, I would lose it all.

Something in the way I was looking must have shown it. I had been trained not to show emotion, but even the best always had cracks. Even my dad did. The thing that told me I had given my secret away was the simple touch of a hand. I could only feel the heat of another person getting closer for just a second before a hand held mine and gave it a squeeze. I looked up to the left to see Alex already staring down at me. He gave me a quick sympathetic yet encouraging smile. As much as I tried to match it, I knew I couldn't.

Now knowing how much that tiny bit of heat helped, I reached out to hold my brother's hand. He seemed just as surprised as I had been, and snapped his eyes in my direction. It was obvious that he was no good at concealing his feelings. He was having a real hard time.

The moment felt like it took a few hours, but really it was just a couple of minutes, if not seconds. My dad and Garry both took a step to the side so I could get through. I took one deep breath and took the tube-like container that Garry was holding out for me. And then it was time for me to actually approach the grave.

The casket was at the bottom, the bouquet of flowers still decorating the top of it. I took a second, just looking down at it, before carefully dropping the container into the grave and stepping away. In that container was a rolled up painting I had made. A few months before, my grandpa had commissioned me to make it for him. But he never got to see the finished painting. Now it was rolled up and he got to keep it with him forever.

I stood there to the side all by myself, but it wasn't for long. My brother came to the grave next with a single flower that he got to drop as well. When he came to stand with me, I pulled him into a hug. I knew it was technically something that I shouldn't really do, especially not now, but I couldn't help myself. Not only did he need it, but I needed it as well.

My two youngest cousins got to drop in their flowers right after Augustus. When they were done, they scurried over and clung to my legs. I wrapped my arm around them too to include them in the hug. Slowly but surely all my other cousins joined in as well.

I looked up as my dad approached with my mom to pay his last respects as well. When I refocused my eyes on the people behind, I made eye contact with Alex. He gave me a single nod, and I finally managed to give him that smile back as I hugged my family tighter. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Alex’s POV:**

I straightened out any wrinkles that the steamer already hadn’t before turning to my reflection in the mirror. Over the last week I had put more attention into my outfit choices than I had throughout the last twenty four years of my existence, and it was pretty obvious. Even my hair was styled back and straightened rather than it’s messy uneven cut hidden beneath a beanie.

I tugged at the bottom of my jacket, glancing at the mirror one last time before grabbing the clipboard I had acquired from Garry now that I actually had a job to do, and my phone. The only job I really had for today was to keep the princess on schedule for the coronation, which seemed easy enough.

I weaved in and out of the crowd, eventually finding myself on the large central staircase. The banisters were covered in a silk drape-embellished in royal colours of teal and white. With each pillar wrapped in a golden tassel and adorned with the kingdom’s crest, it completed the ceremonial look of the coronation.

Turning onto the east wing, I continued down the empty corridor, away from the rush of people downstairs. I eventually found myself outside the designated room. Aerowyn opened the door almost instantly, leaving it open as she ambulated around the room. I slid in, closing the heavy door behind me.

"Aerowyn?" I called, to which she ignored me and continued pacing. She hummed quietly beneath her breath, completely forgetting about my existence all together. I stepped forward, grabbing her hands in time for her eyes to creep up and meet mine.

She broke her gaze, pulling her hands from my own before moving to the window. Her fingers tapped impatiently at the aging wood whilst she stared out at the bustling crowd beneath.

"If you want to be alone I can just go.." I uttered, pointing with my thumb to the door behind me. She shook her head softly, though keeping her eyes on the rush below.

I understood how the coronation could be overwhelming. If I hadn't been so used to big concerts, I would probably be feeling like a deer caught in headlights right now, but she's a princess. Wasn't she raised with the soul intention to one day become queen?

"I can't," she spoke, her voice breaking slightly, "do this…"

"Wait, why?" I asked, walking a few steps to be beside her. I leaned against the wall to the right of the window, staring down at her panicked expression.

Her eyes flickered to mine and she shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she insisted, carefully wiping the tears pooling in her eyes.

“I can see you’re not.” I replied, looking at her expectantly. She shook her head again, moving across the room to where her gown was hung on the wall. Her fingers brushed against the expensive fabric, inspecting it sullenly.

“It’s nothing important,” she mumbled, fumbling with the silk chiffon aimlessly.

“It clearly is, otherwise you wouldn’t be upset about it.”

She shook her head again, shrugging it off.

"Hey, come on. I can't help if you don't let me."

"It's nothing." She repeated, looking up at me, her eyes red and watery.

"Can I know what nothing is?" I inquired, smiling weakly as her eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm scared, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm scared that the next time I attend a coronation it will be because my father will have died. I'm scared that my family, and kingdom, are going to have to go through another loss like the last. I'm so… scared." Her voice trailed off and she returned to fumbling with the silky fabric.

"It's normal to be scared, you know. If you think for a second that I'm not shit scared of what tomorrow awaits, then you're mistaken," I stepped forward, drawing her attention away from the dress and back to me. "Fear happens, no matter what you do. Now fight it, or let it consume you, it's your choice."

She stared at me, eyes widened.

"You can do this. It will take time, but you will get through this. How do you think I ended up in a famous band?"

She snorted, grinning at me childishly. "I can't believe you just turned into a fucking life coach over a minor panic attack."

"Hey! Language! You're a princess." I point at her accusingly, to which she scrunched her nose.

"I'm merely stating the truth." She defended, wiping away the last of her tears.

"You done messing around now? 'Cause we seriously need to get a move on." I added, glancing between my watch and the schedule.

"Yes, get out." She spoke, pushing me towards the door. The maids followed her in after I had left, closing the door behind me.

"Be quick!" I called, just in time for the heavy door to close in my face. I pulled my phone from my back pocket, informing Garry that the princess crisis had indeed been solved before leaning against the wall, awaiting Aerowyn to get changed.

“Ready?” I asked, accompanied by a knock on the door. 

Seconds later, a maid opened the door and Aerowyn was stood in the centre of the room, twirling slightly in her ball gown. The dress itself was a faded cream, embellished with floral patterns. The colour perfectly complimented her pale complexion, emphasising her already beguiling appearance. 

“Ready.” Aerowyn grinned back at me, her mood seemingly happier than only moments prior. She slipped into her skin toned heels, lifting her dress up slightly as she sauntered in my direction. I smiled back at her, genuinely happy that she was.

“Shall we?” I asked, glancing over at Garry who was waiting by the stairs. She nodded, making her way down the corridor. I followed behind, stopping beside Garry as she made her way downstairs to her family.

“Thank you for your help today,” he spoke, tapping me on the shoulder.

“Of course.” I added, nodding assuringly. We walked down the stairs, eventually finding ourselves stood on the last step, the family of four turning to smile at us. Seconds later the main doors opened and we were all being ushered into the royal limousine. With a police escort, we were soon on our way to the church.

Crowds of people were waiting, cheering for their favourite family. The windows were soon wound down and Aerowyn and Augustus were waving to their people, beaming grins against their lips. The soon-to-be king and his wife were talking to Garry, though it was nearly impossible to hear over the screaming crowd surrounding the church. The limousine came to a halt and the doors were soon opened, the king being the first to leave. I watched from beside Aerowyn as he reached his hand out for his wife to take, whilst his other waved at his people. Aerowyn was next to go, shooting a bright smile in my direction before leaving, and then her brother after that. Garry and I climbed out shortly after, allowing the family to make their way inside before we did.

The rows of pews were filled to the brink with people, just like they had been only a few days before, only this time they were dressed in bright and festive colours. Garry and I walked down the side of the hall, meeting the family at the top. Garry took his place beside the soon-to-be king, and I found myself stood close behind, beside Augustus.

The ceremony itself was all about commemorating a past period of time and welcoming the change and growth that will come with a new one. Within an hour the new king was crowned, as well as his queen, and we were all being ushered out of the church for one last wave to the kingdom before heading back to the castle for the afterparty. You see, the kingdom was more focused on celebrations, than it was actual ceremonies, so after the crowning, the royal family held a huge party to welcome their people and partnering countries to the next generation. 

I stood on the last step on the stairs beside Garry as I had only a few hours before, watching as the family greeted their guests. A short conversation was held before they were directed towards the ballroom. Once the last guest had arrived, the doors were shut and the family was free to mingle.

"Do you need anything?" I asked, turning to Garry as he skimmed over his clipboard assiduously, making sure every task was crossed and completed.

"No, I'm good. Go and enjoy yourself." He spoke, smiling softly though not exchanging a glance.

"Does that mean I can steal him?"

I turned to Aerowyn, surprised by her sudden input in the conversation. She smiled softly at me, swaying slightly as she awaited my reply.

"Yeah, okay." I jumped down from the step, standing beside her as she held her arm out at an angle. I chuckled lightly, interlocking my arm with her own. We walked in together, finding ourselves on the dance floor in no time at all.

"I forgot to tell you that you clean up well." Aerowyn spoke, taking my hand in my own and placing her other on my shoulder.

"You don't do so bad yourself." I smirked, placing my hand on her back and pulling her further into the embrace. We swayed rather clumsily, and much faster than the other couples on the dance floor.

"No, but seriously, you did good today. I wouldn't have been able to do that if it wasn't for you." She spoke, slowing down the dance as she stared back at me.

"Of course you would have."

She contorted her face, her eyebrows arching slightly with the expression she made.

"You're stronger than you think, Aerowyn." I added, only to fumble over actually saying her name out loud. Though she tried to keep back the laughter, her face spread into a smirk.

"You can't say my name," she teased.

"Of course I can, don't be silly. Aerowyn, see."

"You can't say my name, you suck at the pronunciation," she sang in a sing-song voice. I shook my head, refusing to believe this was actually happening.

"It's not funny!" I argued, watching as she desperately tried to fight the laughter.

"It is just a little bit," she countered, grinning up at me sheepishly.

"Okay then. Winny it is." I bit back, though her face softened into a warm smile.

"Then Winny it will be." She whispered, resting her head against my shoulder as we finally slowed to the pace of everyone else. I smiled down at her, confirming my previous suspicions. It was definitely the girl rubbing off on me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Winny’s POV:**

“Alright, Mr. Gaskarth, what’s up next,” I asked Alex as we walked back inside through the front doors to the castle. My heels clicked loudly against the marble.

He looked down at the clipboard in his hands. “Well, it seems your schedule is open until dinner, Miss. Rothchester.”

“Very delightful.” I clapped my hands together in satisfaction and gave him a forced smile. “But it is actually Her Royal Highness, Princess of Dalewin, or Princess Aerowyn.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” he shook his head and scanned his document as if he had missed an important point, “I’ve got a princess on my hands.”

“A princess with a shitload of free time all of a sudden,” I snorted. My dad was getting ready to go on his tour and slowly but surely I was getting all these responsibilities that I had to take over now. There was no time for myself.

“What will she be doing with this time? Maybe some sowing or playing the piano?” Alex suggested in a horrible posh accent.

“Hmm, no… she thinks she’ll go out in the sun and play some tennis.” My high heels continued to echo in the hall as I started towards the stairs. “Oh, and she requests your presence.”

“My presence?”

“Yes, your presence.” I stopped to turn around and nod at him before stepping up the stairs. “I’m done talking in third person. See you outside at the tennis court in fifteen minutes.”

“Wait! I don’t know where the tennis court is!” He shouted out.

“Outside!”

I went up to my bedroom to get changed. My feet were more than glad to leave the cage that was my heels. I used to be able to wear them for ages without feeling a thing. It was like I had trained them. But New York has softened me in that aspect. Sneakers were my go to there for everyday attire. Heels weren’t exactly the best to paint in either.

Usually, I had somebody who would lay out the clothes I needed to get changed into, even if it was just getting into pajamas or changing out of formal clothes. The thing was, for somebody to do that, they would have to know. I was assuming that Alex hadn’t notified anybody. I only gave him fifteen minutes to meet me. Given how panicked he was about not knowing where the tennis court was, I guessed he wasn’t going to waste any time.

Not that I minded. I had gotten very used to doing things all by myself and I really enjoyed it. Privacy, who knew it was a thing?

I had a very nice generic tennis outfit to wear. Pretty sexist, if you asked me. You know, the white skirt, white t-shirt, white long socks, and white shoes. Oh, and don’t forget the white visor cap. Although... I was pretty thankful for that one, it was quite sunny outside.

I brought two rackets with me to the court. Alex wasn’t there yet. Granted, I was two minutes early, and he probably had more than just changing to do beforehand, but I still didn’t know what to do. Everything was already set up to my surprise. Two towels, two bottles of water, and even a sunshade with two chairs available.

I wandered around the court aimlessly, only holding my racket. It was in the position you’d expect a guitar or ukulele to be. Although it obviously wasn’t an instrument, I still let my nails rake against the strings as if I was. It made some awkward scratching noise. Nothing like a nice melody.

“Wow, you’re good at playing the guitar,” Alex said behind me, catching me off guard.

I turned around and smirked at him. “I am the lead singer of the world-famous band All Time Low!” I ‘strung’ the strings again dramatically. “The crowd goes wild!”

“Well, aren’t you funny.”

“I know, I’m hilarious,” I agreed and started holding my racket normally, pointing towards the right side of the net. “Your racket’s over there.”

He walked over and picked it up, twirling it around. “Thanks, but I must warn you, I have no idea how to play tennis.”

“You at least know how to hold it, right?”

“Yeah?” He nodded and clumsily put his hands around the handle.

I took a peek at his grip and sighed. “It’s good enough, let’s just play. Rules don’t matter. Yet.”

Alex went over to the otherside of the net as I went to grab a ball. I bent over and bounced it a few times before I got to serving. It always helped me focus on the ball and track it easier. When I looked back up at Alex, I saw him staring right at my but with a hint of amusement on his face.

“Ay!” I called him out and pointed my racket at him aggressively. “Disrespectful!”

“What?” He quickly redirected his eyes back to my face and held his hands up in defense.

“I’ve worked hard for this ass, it deserves to be appreciated, but I’m a princess. That’s the highest level of insult!”

Alex whistled lowly. “Well, I apologise.”

“You better!”

I served the ball, making it wizz across to Alex’s side. He was unprepared and jumped out of its way to avoid getting hurt. The funniest part was the weird yelp he let out as he noticed the ball was zooming right towards him. I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

“I wasn’t prepared!” He whined.

“That’s what they all say.”

I went easier on him afterwards. There was a fine line between messing with him and it being funny and messing with him until it turned into borderline bullying. I actually did need a partner to play with, even if he had no idea what he was doing. The ball went out more often than not and I was racking up points like it was nobody’s business. It was so bad that we had to get rid of the entire point system.

Technically, the game would have gone forever like that, but Augustus interrupted us by simply showing up.

“Somebody told me a pathetic match was being played.” He opened the gate and came sauntering in.

“Umm, excuse me,” I scoffed, “we’re just playing for fun.”

“You’ve just gone soft.”

“You wish!”

“I am feeling a competition coming on.” Alex slowly backed away over to the shade, “so I’m just going to take a break now.”

Augustus and I did not turn down the offer of playing against each other. It was one steamy dramatic game. There was one sport we played avidly in our family and that was tennis. Why? I don’t know. It wasn’t some prestigious sport, but our parents got us started early on. Technically, I had a 4 year headstart on Augustus, but I didn’t play back in New York.

We were going head to head. I would get a point, then Augustus would. It was a constant battle between who would break the tie. There was a heightened suspense all the way up until match point. It was all or nothing.

I served the ball, throwing it up high into the sky. It managed to go back and forth between us for quite a while. We both tried to trick the other, making us run all over. My heart was pumping so quickly. The beat of the ball hitting the ground was drumming in my ears. And then Augustus was the last one to hit it.

“Yes!” He screamed out.

“That was out.” I shook my head.

“No it was not.”

“Umm, yes it was.”

“You’re just a sore loser,” he mocked.

I crossed my arms and gave him a disappointed look. “Am I? Am I really, Gus-Gus?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then, why don’t you just let me win if you’re the better loser?” I challenged, to which he looked at me with wide mad eyes. “Maybe you are the sorer loser.”

“No, no, no, you aren’t tricking me! I’d win this easily whether or not that point was given to me.”

“So you’d be down to ignore that point and redo?”

“Umm, yes.” He rolled his eyes as if it was the obvious answer.

I put my hands on my hips and turned to Alex in one swift jump. “You wanna play the winner?”

“I think I’m good,” Alex declined with a small wave of his hand. “Watching you is entertainment enough.”

“We’ll see about that.”

I reserved the ball and the game started again. Augustus was so focused, I could just see it. He kept his eyes on the ball. It was like a puppy following a treat. Part of me wanted to let him win. But what was the fun in that? I couldn’t simply do that. He was the one that agreed to a redo.

I swung harder than I had the entire game, causing the ball to zoom right past the end of Augustus’ racket. It loudly slammed into the metal fence behind him, stopping the ball from rolling down into the gardens, and bounced back towards us.

“What. The. Fuck.” Augustus panned his eyes from the ball to me with his mouth open wide.

I shrugged and gave him a smile. “I was holding back the entire time, sorry.”

“That’s unfair!” He whined and kicked the tennis ball. “You tricked me!”

“It’s all about making your opponent think they have a chance and then swooping in for the kill, Gus-Gus. You should know that by now.”

He repeated my last sentence in a high pitched mocking voice.

“Who’s the sore loser now.”

He glared at me. I had learned to deal with losing, Augustus hadn’t that much. He was more taught to deal with it the same way all kids were. Just told to get over it. I was drilled about it. You can’t have some butthurt queen, can you?

“It’s okay, though,” I decided to cheer him up a little, “you’ll always be better at sparring.”

“I fucking destroy you in that,” he emphasised.

“Okay, now don’t go murdering me in my sleep like some power hungry second born,” I told him sternly while simultaneously brushing him off. I had something much more important to ask Alex. “Wanna play again?”

“Umm,” he frowned with uncertainty.

“We can play as a team against Augustus.”

“I will most definitely make you lose.”

“Why do you think I just got myself a win?”

Alex couldn’t continue to argue with me. I knew he secretly liked playing, so he didn’t need that much convincing. He may have been trying to hide it, but I saw that he was having fun while it was just the two of us playing.

So, we started a new match. The plan was for me and Alex to switch position occasionally, while Augustus just did as he usually would do by himself. I started out in the front and Alex started in the back. Alex was right, we were losing by a lot. The ball would often hit in his zone, and he wouldn’t be able to reach it fast enough. But it didn’t matter.

The longer we played, though, the more focused I got. Good thing for a normal game, not so good when I wasn’t really properly playing in teams. Usually, it would work out perfectly. But, with Alex, it was just a bit all over the place. The ball was flying towards the other side of our half of the court. I rushed towards it, but rather than my racket colliding with the ball, it was my body that collided with Alex’s. I tripped over and found myself on the floor.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry!” Alex quickly apologised.

I just laughed and rolled over on my back. “That was all me.”

“Everything good? No broken bones?” He immediately started worrying.

“I’m all good,” I continued to giggle and sat up, brushing off all the sand on me. “Calm your tits.”

“I’d love to, but if you get hurt, it’s on me.”

“Live a little, Gaskarth.” I slapped his leg and stood back up. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Alex’s POV:**

I opened an eye slightly, peeking at the time illuminating on my phone screen. 5.46. I grabbed my phone from the bedside cabinet, swiping left before pushing it to my ear.

"Dude, I've called you five times!" Jack's loud and slightly pissed voice sounded through the phone. I sighed wearily, rolling onto my back as my head sunk into the pillows.

"Did you forget about the nine hour time difference?" I groaned, frowning at my disrupted sleep.

"That seems like more of a you problem, than a me problem," he retorted. "Now. Did you sort out plans for the tour?"

"I'll sort it soon."

I listened to his mumble of profanities on the other end, picking up on his comment of 'you said that last time'. I could almost picture him roll his eyes in annoyance.

"I said I'll sort it." I added bitterly.

"Fine. But we leave in a week, Alex. You're going to have to come up with something good and fast."

He ended the call before I could say anything back, clearly still annoyed by my lack of effort in the tour department. Sure touring with Blink-182 had been my dream since I was a teen, but it was terrible timing. I didn't want to betray the guys by turning down the offer, but I also didn't want to let Garry down by leaving him in his time of need. No matter what I did it was a win-loss situation.

I sat up in bed, glancing over at the faint pink glow emanating from the window. An early morning walk couldn't hurt.

After changing into jeans and a shirt, I slipped into my sneakers, throwing one of All Time Low's newest hoodies on before leaving the room. The corridors were deserted, as expected, with the exception of a few yawning guards about to end their night shift.

I slipped out the back entrance with the intention to head onto the field, though my attention was drawn elsewhere before I could make it too far past the patio doors.

"Alex, hey," a voice called out over the garden, soft yet weary. I looked around, eventually spotting the grinning blonde, waving at me from the top window. Aerowyn.

"Why are you up this early?" I asked, smiling back at her beaming grin.

"I could ask you the same thing!" She countered, glancing back into the room momentarily before turning back to me. "I was painting."

I chuckled softly, "of course you were."

"Wait there," she added, disappearing into the shadows of the library. I nodded, though knowing she couldn't see, before turning to watch the sun as it began to rise over the trees in the distance.

"Come on," her warm voice whispered beside me as she took my hand in her own, pulling me along with her through the garden. We passed through the hedges at the end of the patio, making our way out onto the field.

I didn't take me long to stop paying attention to where we were actually going, because I instead turned my gaze to her hand wrapped around my own. She bounced as she walked causing our hands to swing in time, rocking back and forth with each step we made.

I looked up in surprise as she came to a halt, dropping down on the freshly cut grass. I slumped down beside her, taking a look at our surroundings. 

We were sat on a small hill just before the trees, the sunrise over the lake perfectly in view. The colours of orange and pink all merged into one as they reflected against the glistening blue water. It was one hell of a sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it." Aerowyn mumbled beside me, turning my attention back to her. Her lips were curled into a warm smile; her eyes fixated on the view.

"Yes it is." I whispered in reply.

We sat there for a while, just taking in the surroundings. With nothing but the chirps of the birds and the slow swaying of the trees in the wind, silence soon submerged us and we were left to appreciate the few moments away from chaos we had.

"Alex?" Aerowyn asked, sparing a single glance in my direction before turning back to the pond.

"Winny." I replied with a nod.

She giggled at the name. "You know the only other person who called me that was my Grandfather," she added with a small smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No, it's fine," she interrupted. "I like it."

She turned to face me again and we held eye contact for a moment as silence engulfed us.

"We should probably go and get ready for breakfast," she stated, standing up from the grass verge and brushing herself down. I glanced down at my empty hand, realising she had been holding it the entire time. "You coming?"

"Yeah," I spoke, standing up. With one last glance at the now fully risen sun, I began following Aerowyn back towards the castle.

Breakfast was exactly like it had been for the last week of my stay, only there was a change in the seating arrangements. Instead of me and Garry sitting together on the far side of the table, Garry and Aerowyn had switched places leaving me with the princess by my side. Not that I complaining. We basically had our own conversation, occasionally joining in with the group notices about the royal portrait. You see, since there was a new king ruling now, the family would have to take another family portrait, like the one I saw on my way to the library. It was some family tradition from the seventeenth century that they felt the need to keep alive.

"So, are we all set on the portrait arrangements?" The king spoke, drawing both Winny and I back into the conversation.

"Indeed. Everyone is still set on showing up, and the maids are on hand with the outfits to get everyone ready." Garry explained, glancing over his schedule before turning back to the king.

"And you all are feeling okay?" He asked, turning to his family. The three nodded, smiling back at the king. "Very well then. We will meet back here in two hours to greet our guests." 

The group was soon dispersed and I found myself with a new schedule for the day. Garry had set me in charge of Augustus and Aerowyn, which is how I found myself standing outside of Aerowyn's room, just like a day a few days prior. Augustus was across from me, already dressed in his finest attire.

"So my sister seems to like you," he spoke, his eyes creeping over my outfit choice before returning to my face. It was pretty obvious he was judging me, but I already knew I was irregular in a royal castle. I mean, I’m a singer in a pop-punk band.

"Yeah, I guess she does," I smiled, holding back the temptation to smirk.

He opened his mouth to say something else, only to be cut off by Aerowyn sauntering out into the corridor. She spun around, flaunting her outfit to the both of us. 

Her dress was floor length–a faded blue with crystals embroidered along the neckline. With her hair curled and pulled back into a clip, she wore a tiara embellished in the royal jewels. Not to mention her smile was as genial as ever.

"Well don't you look dashing, Gus-Gus", she spoke, throwing an arm over Augustus' shoulder before pulling him into a one-armed hug. He rolled his eyes, shuffling beneath her grip.

"You're going to ruin my outfit, Aerowyn," he accused, to which she let go, holding both hands to her mouth, feigning shock. I chuckled lightly at the two of them, turning away to check the schedule for the rest of the day.

Within an hour Augustus and Aerowyn were with their parents, greeting their family as they arrived, whilst I helped Garry co-ordinate the last of the photoshoot arrangements. Before long, the royal family were being ushered into the room, all dressed in their royal colours. 

I shuffled back against the wall, staying out of the way whilst Garry helped the photographer sort the family into their places. I watched Aerowyn as she found her place, lifting one of her youngest cousins into arms. She tickled the little girl causing her to giggle aloud. I smiled, admiring the exchange between Winny and the girl. It was no wonder she was loved so much around here.

She glanced over at me, a beaming grin enhancing her soft-pink lips. With one nod, she turned away to face the photographer. In that second, my heart fluttered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Winny’s POV:**

I brushed out the wrinkles in my rose coloured dress as we walked down the hallway. My heels were really slowing me down, I could barely walk. I had been up on my feet since six in the morning and it was excruciatingly tiring. If this was a taste of what the life of a ruler was, I never wanted to be Queen. All my life, I thought I would be prepared when the time came, but I was seriously doubting myself.

“Come on, princess,” Alex rushed me, about ten steps ahead of me, “we’re going to be late for the meeting.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I literally cannot walk,” I seethed back, taking the smallest and most awkward of steps.

“Need me to carry you?” He raised his eyebrow at me teasingly.

“No,” I scoffed and tried taking a larger step.

Although I tried to do that, I couldn’t pick up my foot off the floor more. My heel managed to snag on the carpet. I immediately lost my balance. If I had had my normal walking capabilities, I would have easily stabilised myself. But I wasn’t that lucky. I barely managed to stop myself from falling over. If it hadn’t been for that small side table with flowers on it, I would have slapped on the cold marble.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?” Alex gave me an amused look.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to fire you?” I mocked and kicked off my heels, making his face fall. I technically couldn’t be seen like this, but I didn’t care anymore. “That’s right. I call the shots here, I’m not one of your crew members.”

“Alright, I’m just doing my job,” he defended himself and checked his watch. “We will be late now.”

“Well, that’s too bad for them,” I grumbled and followed him down the hallway again.

We were meeting with all the other advisors. I got why Alex was so set on being on time. He had also taken over for Garry in those meetings. The others didn’t really take him seriously. He had no experience, no knowledge about anything that related to the kingdom, and was literally the lead singer of a band. Not exactly advisor material. But Alex was set on proving himself.

When we finally reached the heavy double wooden doors, he was eager to get in.

“Hang on!” I yelped, slapping his hand away from the door knob.

He sighed loudly and turned to me with a fed up look. “What?”

I glared at him and put back on my shoes, grimacing at the way they made my ankles and toes burn again. Honestly, I did not feel like I could even dare to show my face at that meeting in the state I was in. My hair felt frizzy, my eyes felt heavy, and my skin felt sticky. But there was no time to take a second and freshen up. There was no time for anything.

“Oh, umm, wait a second.” Alex fumbled around with his clipboard for a second.

I watched, confused why he was now holding us back. Eventually, he reached out and started fixing my hair a little. First it was just simply pushing a lock of hair behind my ear, but then he started doing more. He tucked a few more pieces back into my hairdo and pulled a few other whisps out. Apparently I now also had a new stylist.

“Okay, good to go.” He gave me a thumbs up and opened the door without another warning.

It reeked of old white male in there. All three of them were sitting at the large dark wood table, leaning back in their chairs. They gave Alex one horrible look of disapproval, and continued to watch us silently take our seats. I was at the head of the table in the chair my grandpa and now my dad usually occupied. Alex was to my right, like he literally was my right hand man. Each one of us had a pen, a glass of water, and a folder with documents.

They all stared at me expectantly, snapping me out of a small trance.

“Oh, right, yes, umm, let us inaugurate this meeting,” I stumbled over my words, urging the first person to start talking.

“Yes,” the old man next to Alex sat up straight and opened his folder, “I need to bring the emergency financial budget to light.”

“Emergency financial budget?” I opened my own folder, hoping to find another name or something that would give me more information. But, no. It was literally called the emergency financial budget. Weren’t all budgets financial?

“You should have been given a document for you to review before this meeting.” He gave me a stern look.

I nodded and tapped my pen on the table. There had indeed been such a document. “And would you be willing to give a quick recap for the ones who may not have read it?”

He started using a scolding tone. “Miss. Aerowyn–”

“Princess Aerowyn,” Alex corrected, earning himself a few more mean glares.

“– may I inform you that it is your duty to make sure you come prepared to perform your responsibilities.”

“Mr. Dudley,” I responded sternly, “I was given fifteen minutes to read twenty different reports, each with a length of fifty pages or more. I believe it was your responsibility to provide me with a synopsis.”

The man across from Mr. Dudley showed that they still weren’t having any of it. “Why has this meeting been called if our own princess cannot even perform her duties?”

I ran a hand through my hair, messing up the work Alex had done just minutes before. I didn’t know what to do anymore, unruly advisors was not exactly a lesson I got. “I may not be your king, but I am still your authority.”

“We are better off spending our time waiting for the king to return that even try to progress now,” the third advisor added.

“Excuse me,” Alex butted in, “I will remind you to have some respect. While the king is celebrating his coronation – which is well deserved, may I add – Aerowyn is holding everything together here. All these responsibilities have been dropped on her with no advanced guidance.”

Mr. Dudley scoffed. “Public appearances surely do need a whole lot of leadership and command. Traipsing around–”

“I am begging you to hold that thought. Aerowyn has been in five different meetings since this morning and has merely made one public appearance. She has had to prepare for each one of these, including memorising a speech. I believe you have no right to discuss whether or not she is worthy of her authoritative power.”

“I believe that is exactly our job.”

Alex crossed his legs, his ankle on the knee of the other leg, and he leaned back. I almost thought he had given up, but then he came with a new strategy. Changing the subject. “I have a new preposition to make for the good of the country.”

Mr. Dudley gave him a nod, believing he had won this.

“As you know, I will be returning to the United States for the duration of two weeks in a few days time,” Alex started, catching me off guard. I didn’t know he was leaving, which was strange. Wasn’t I the one person that should know? “I propose Aerowyn comes with me.”

I watched as all their faces turned red. Scrap me thinking they were angered by Alex before, they were absolutely infuriated now. So much angry emotion for a group of 60-year-olds who believed I wasn’t worth their time and questions earlier. Turned out they actually knew what I did but just didn’t want to accept it. Who would have guessed?

“Absolutely not!” Mr. Dudley sputtered out angrily.

“It will be best for both her and the entire family and it’s associates,” Alex defended.

“Are you mad?” The man across from him sneered.

“I might be, but not in this case.”

The third shook his head and mumbled under his breath, “what was Garry thinking?”

“How about we leave personal attacks out of this? It would–”

“We cannot permit Aerowyn to leave. With both the King and Queen on their tour, we need somebody here to take care of matters. If she leaves right now, the family will seem weak. We simply cannot warrant this.”

Alex breathed in deeply and leaned forward, standing behind his point of view. “I hear your concerns and recognise them. However, you need to look at the bigger picture here. Would you rather have your princess crumble in the public eye, weakening the public image and confidence right at the start of the new king’s reign or would you rather have your princess leave for two weeks to a place she already lives during the year and have her come back stronger than ever?”

“Excuse me?!” I finally interrupted after watching from a distance for so long. All heads snapped in my direction. “Do I get a say in this?”

Alex relaxed and sat back in his chair again. “It’s your choice.”

“Aerowyn,” Mr. Dudley immediately pushed, “you can clearly see that this would not be appropriate!”

I didn’t say a word, and surprisingly they all stayed silent as well. It was the first moment of peace I had gotten in a long time. I reached out and grabbed the report from the table, bringing it to my lap. The four men continued to stare at me as I scanned the pages. I had no idea what I was reading. All I could do was softly rub my temple with one hand, my elbow on the armrest, messing up my hair even more, while the other hand shakily went to flip the page. Usually I had a very steady hand, but my body obviously thought that wasn’t necessary anymore.

Alex was right. It was my choice. But at the same time it wasn’t. Not even close. I had the authority to suddenly call for a holiday. I could give a few of my duties to other people. But those things weren’t the responsible things to do. As princess and future Queen of the Kingdom of Dalewin, I couldn’t just simply decide to leave. It wasn’t how it worked.

I looked up briefly, all their eyes still on me. I gave a quick wave. “Please, continue.”

There was just more tension and silence. I kept on reading. It was the least I could do. They all had things they wanted to discuss which I knew nothing about. So, they were going to have to say something, or else this meeting was just going to continue on without any talking.

“Maybe a few weeks in the United States isn’t a bad idea,” Mr. Dudley suddenly changed opinions.

Did I really look that bad? Was my appearance really screaming that I needed a break?

“Mr. Dudley, are you certain about this?” The man to my right seemed as shocked as I was.

“Alex– Mr. Gaskarth is correct.” He gave a nod in Alex’s direction. “The worst thing we can have right now with a new king in power is have the crown princess seem incapable. We can take care of matters for two weeks.”

“What about public appearances?”

“King Edward still has siblings who are a part of this family. It might also be the perfect time for Augustus to be introduced if he is willing.”

Something in me was worried that Augustus was being offered as my replacement. I didn’t want him to be overwhelmed with everything as well. But it was only the public appearances, I had to remind myself of that. Gus-Gus had been wanting to help out there for a while, but he had always been considered too young. He would be over the moon if he was given the chance. There was no way he’d let himself mess up.

“So,” Alex smirked at me, “what do you say?”

“Very well.” I closed the folder and put it back on the table.

“I believe that sorts that. We’ll convene in the near future to work through the details,” Mr. Dudley said, no longer mad but also not overly glad. Afterall, he wasn’t the one that won this. He then glanced at me. “If I may?”

I gave him approval through a nod.

“Meeting adjourned,” he called.

The three advisors left through the side door, back to their offices, while Alex and I went back out through the main door. I walked out as composed as possible. My feet were still hurting like a bitch in my shoes.

As soon as the heavy door closed behind us, I jumped on Alex and hugged him tightly. “I could kiss you right now!”

He chuckled, “I won’t stop you.”

“But I won’t.” I let go of him again, continuing from my previous statement and excitedly kicking off my shoes.

“Well, that isn’t disappointing at all.”

“I’m sure it is.” I started skipping down the hallway. “When are we leaving?”

Alex started speed walking after me. “In five days.”

“Five days… two weeks…” I mumbled to myself before spinning around to face Alex. “What are you actually doing back in the US?”

“Blink-182 has an opening act cancelation, we’ve been called in to replace,” he shrugged.

“Blink-182?”

“Yeah, they’re a band–”

“I’m not oblivious, Alex, I know who they are.” I restarted skipping down the hallway quickly.

“You’re forgetting your shoes!” He snatched the pair off the floor, one against the left wall and the other further down the hall and more to the right.

“Fuck the shoes!” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Alex’s POV:**

I grabbed our suitcases from the baggage claim, catching up to Aerowyn who was already rushing for the door. It seemed I had greatly underestimated how happy she was to be back in the states. The last few weeks had left a huge strain on her both physically as well as mentally, so the break was exactly what she needed. That much was obvious.

Within seconds of exiting the airport, we were engulfed by the sweltering air that was Miami. For the first time in weeks I had the chance to wear casual clothes rather than my usual of trousers and a blazer, so I was satisfied by the lack of clothing consuming me. Anything but shorts and a t-shirt was asking for trouble.

I stared after Aerowyn as she skipped through the bustling crowd, smirking slightly as my eyes landed on her shoes. They were fucking awesome to say the least. They were emerald green Converse with a white base, but that wasn't what caught my eye. Upon the fabric sat daisies after daisies, each hand painted as delicately as the rest. With their colours ranging from yellow to white, it was pretty hard to miss the prodigious meadow she had created.

Suddenly her feet stopped in their tracks, and my gaze soon found their way back to her face. She followed my eyes down to her feet, forming a small 'o' with her lips before shrugging it off and falling down onto the bench beside her. I took a seat, placing out suitcases down as I turned to Aerowyn who was already staring back at me.

"We should probably go over the plan," she stated matter-of-factly. I nodded, adjusting my position so I could fade her comfortably. "Okay, what's my name?"

"Matilde." I responded almost instantly. It was like I hadn't spent the last few days having it hammered into me. Notice the sarcasm?

"And how did we meet?" 

"You work for the royal family, we met whilst I was helping Garry."

"Sounds good," she stated, clearly satisfied with our plan. It was simple, really. As long as we kept it casual and I remembered to call her Matilde, we'd be safe. "So where are we meeting the rest of your band?"

"Well, the first gig isn't until tomorrow, so we're staying in a hotel tonight." I explained, to which she nodded along, taking in everything I said. "We'll be moving to the tour bus by tomorrow evening though."

"Cool," she smiled brightly, "I've never actually been on a tour like this, so I'm actually excited."

"Speaking of which, I got you something." I grabbed my suitcase pulling it up onto the bench beside me, quickly unzipping the front pocket and pulling out the small, badly wrapped present. Aerowyn eyed me suspiciously, but took it all the same.

"You got me a camera?" She asked, inspecting the silver box in her hand.

"Yeah, I figured the next best thing to painting would be taking pictures. It's not a professional one, but I figured you'd want something a little better than a phone to record the experience with."

She stared back at me, her eyes widened by my words. I couldn't pinpoint whether it was a good thing, or a bad thing, but then she threw her arms around my neck.

"Thank you!" She gushed, pulling back from the hug. "I love it."

"Good, I'm glad."

She leaned past me, grabbing her suitcase before jumping up with just as much energy as she had before. I chuckled lightly, grabbing my own suitcase before following after her.

Something about Aerowyn having lived in New York for a few years made her an expert at hollering a cab, so it didn't take too long for us to be on our way. I gave the driver the address the guys had sent me, and we were soon on our way to the hotel. It wasn't exactly high-end, as far as a princess was concerned, but it was good enough for tonight. If anything it would be the comfiest bed we'd get until we returned to Dalewin.

Most of the cab ride was silent. Aerowyn was staring out of the window, taking in the sights and snapping pictures where and when she could, whilst I was texting the boys to make sure all the plans were still in check. From what it seemed, they were all eager to meet my new work associate. It wasn't necessarily a lie – we did work together, after all. They just weren't going to find out the full truth. Well, hopefully.

I paid the driver the designated amount of cash, thanking him for the lift before following Aerowyn out of the car. She had already grabbed our suitcases by the time I had shut the door, placing mine beside me before skipping off inside. I followed after her, checking the room numbers on my phone as I did.

One corridor and a lift ride later, we were standing outside room 4D, reaching up to knock on the door. Before my knuckles even had a chance to graze the hard wood, it swung open.

"I wanted to scare you in the corridor," Jack moaned, pouting at me from the doorway. His eyes immediately flickered to Aerowyn and he stared at her, mouth widened. 

"Well you sure did, now move." I pushed past him, dropping my case against the wall before, to Zack's surprise, throwing myself down on the bed. Rian was sat on the large chaise beneath the window, only just noticing my arrival as well.

"Umm.. hi.." Aerowyn's voice muttered from the doorway, still being restrained by Jack and his inane need for staring at pretty girls. I rolled my eyes, pushing myself off the bed before making my way over to the pair. 

"Do you mind?" I asked, leaning against the wall beside Jack who was still staring at Aerowyn, just as gobsmacked as before.

"Not at all." He uttered, sparing a second to glance at me before returning to gape at Aerowyn.

"Dude."

"Fine, Alex. I'll leave your girlfriend alone." Jack retorted bitterly.

"No, I'm actually-" Aerowyn started, only to be cut off by Jack walking away. She turned back to me, eyebrows raised.

"I did warn you." I added, knowing fine well that I spent most of the flight going into detail about how weird these guys were.

She shrugged it off, stepping into the room now that the doorway wasn't being blocked by some horny skunk-haired five-year-old. I closed the door once she was inside, leading her into the main area where the guys were having a conversation of their own, most probably about something stupid judging from Jack's face.

"Guys," I spoke, to which they all turned their heads in my direction, only looking at Aerowyn, rather than me. "This is Matilde. Matilde, this is Jack, Zack and Rian." I pointed to the three of them as I said their names, to which they smiled and said their greetings to Aerowyn–or should I say Matilde now?

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm so excited to see you guys play," she gushed, smiling brightly at the three boys.

"We're excited to play for you," Rian countered, standing up from the chaise before moving to the bed. I followed suit, taking his previous seat before pulling Aerowyn down beside me.

"The real question here is which of our roles is her favourite." Jack added, nodding matter-of-factly.

"The guitarist," Aerowyn replied almost instantly, smirking at Jack, "obviously."

"Of course," he stated, stretching his arms in order to flex his paucity of muscles. I rolled my eyes, leaning back into the chaise.

"Anyway," Rian interrupted to Jack's disappointment. "What exactly do you do for the royal family?" 

Aerowyn shifted uncomfortably beside me, but answered all the same. "I work on the grounds with the horses, mainly. I met Alex when he was sorting out the arrangements for the princess’ lessons.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t find him just nosing around,” Zack chuckled.

Rian nodded in agreement, “yeah, Alex over there is obsessed with horses.”

“I’m going to have to force him out on a ride when we’re back in Dalewin then,” she stated, sparing a rather ambiguous glance at me before turning back to the boys. “Do you guys ride much?”

“I mean, it depends what type of ride you’re talking about,” Jack winked, to which Aerowyn giggled softly, staring down at her hands. I held back the temptation to snort at his bad joke, instead turning my attention to Zack who perked up again.

“We don’t ride horses like Alex,” Zack stated, completely ignoring Jack's previous statement. "We tend to have our own hobbies while we're apart."

“That's expected. You obviously don't want Alex biting your ear off every second of the day," she smirked, sparing a quick glance at me before chuckling at my faux-hurt expression.

"I'll have you know that I'm quite an astute person," I insisted, sitting up from my slouched position. "I only speak words of wisdom."

"You can't even pronounce my name," she retorted, giggling at her own inside-joke. "So I'd love to hear some words of wisdom."

"Hey, no, that was one time. You do not get to hold that against me," I argued, watching her expression closely. She held my gaze, attempting to keep her face serious beneath my stare, but also failing miserably. 

"Um, sorry to interrupt whatever you've got going on here, but didn't you say your name is Matilde?" Rian interrupted, his eyebrows arching in confusion.

"Matilde, yes." Aerowyn replied, turning back to the boys with an ardent grin.

"Dude, you can't say Matilde?" Jack butted in, staring at me in disbelief.

"Of course I can say Matilde, see? Matilde, Matilde, Matilde," I insisted, knowing fine well that Aerowyn was soaking it all up. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take Matilde to her room."

"I'll see you all later," Aerowyn added before rushing out of the room after me. I had already taken the key from Rian so all I needed to do was find her room.

"Just your information, not being able to say your name was a one time slip up." I stated, glancing at Aerowyn. 

She bit on her, attempting to withhold her laughter. It was pretty obvious that she was less stressed than what she had been back in Dalewin, so I was satisfied for the time being. I was just thankful for her smile.

"You know they're never going to let me live this down." I added, fumbling with the key in the door before pushing it open to reveal her room.

"Oh, I know." She smirked, taking the key from me as she sauntered into the room. The door closed behind her and I was left, alone, in the corridor. I don't know what it was, but I had a feeling that this tour was going to be the best one yet.


	11. Chapter 11

**Winny’s POV:**

“Is there anything I can help with?” I asked as I walked into the room where the band was preparing for their show. Everybody around me was doing something, getting something ready, being useful. And I was just there.

“Not really no,” Alex said from the old black faux-leather couch. He was leaning back, very casually. It was quite strange to see him back in ‘normal’ clothes. Skinny jeans weren’t a bad look on him though.

Jack quickly jumped in and suggested, “you can be my personal assistant!”

“And what would that consist of?” I raised my eyebrows at him with a small smirk grazing my lips.

He stretched out. “Well, for starters, I’ve got an itch on my–”

“Don’t say your dick,” Rian intercepted, holding out a hand to stop him despite being on the other side of the room. “Just don’t.”

“I was going to say my back, thank you very much.” Jack sneered back before giving me a very big smile. “If you’d like to help me scratch it.”

I shrugged and walked up to him. Why not? I knew that he was totally messing with me, that he wasn’t expecting me to actually do anything. But I decided to have a little fun as well. I liked Jack. He was an… _intriguing_ person. His humour was the absolute worst, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to him. There was something ever since that first look that made we want to take this opportunity of not being in my role even further.

I placed my fingertips against the fabric right between his shoulder blades. “Where?”

“Further down,” he instructed and rolled his shoulders.

I lightly bit the inside of my bottom lip as I did so. He had nowhere near the same amount of muscle tone as Alex’s other friends, Rian and Zack, but damn it still did something. I continued to trail my fingers down, scratching carefully and in controlled motions.

“Oh, fuck, yes, right there.” He moaned when I reached the middle of his back. “That’s the spot!”

Alex gave us a disgusted look, but I couldn’t help but giggle.

“I give a mean massage as well.” I took it even further, slowly halting my scratching. “As your personal assistant I am now obliged to give you one whenever you ask for it.”

“I am definitely going to keep that in mind.” Jack turned around, giving me a lopsided smirk.

“So… do you guys drink before you play a show, or do you take the mellow approach?” I mainly asked Jack, wanting to get a better feel for his personality. I barely knew anything about him, I needed to scope out what I wanted to get myself into.

Unfortunately for me, Alex was the first to respond. “I’m insulted you’d even ask that. We live off of alcohol.”

“Then where the fuck is the alcohol?” I complained, getting a surprised look from him.

Jack walked past me, his arm brushing my side. He opened the small fridge that had a glass door and announced, “found it!”

“What have they so graciously provided us with?” Alex craned his neck as if that would let him get a look of the bottom shelves. Which it didn’t. There was a couch and a Jack standing in the way.

Jack shrugged and bent over to get a better look. “Some beers… they’ve got a couple of small bottles of stronger stuff… the usual really.”

“Beer me,” I requested.

“What?” He chuckled

“Beer me.”

“What kind of phrase is that?!”

“Beer. Me,” I repeated again in a challenging and almost scolding tone, making direct eye contact with him.

He maintained the eye contact before throwing a can in my direction. I didn’t wait to pull on the tab to open it. Of course, it started foaming over, but I quickly brought it to my mouth, making sure none of the liquid spilled over. I didn’t need it to spill on me so early in the evening.

I let myself fall down onto the couch and sat in the corner, bringing my legs up to my chest. “I forgot how shit American beer tastes.”

“Beer in Europe is so much better,” Jack agreed, making himself a mixed drink instead.

“But this is much easier to chug,” I countered, downing some of it, but not the entire drink just yet.

I looked at Alex to see him staring at me with wide eyes. There was a mixture of shock, concern, amazement, and also a hint of revulsion spread across his face. Yes, I was Aerowyn, Princess of Dalewin, but Matilde was a whole different person.

“What?” I tried snapping out of it.

“Nothing,” he quickly looked away and shook his head, “nothing. I’ve just never seen you drink like that.”

“There are no rules holding me back here.” I smiled in satisfaction and drank another big gulp.

“Don’t they let you drink back at the castle you work at?” Jack inquired, taking a seat on the same couch as me, holding a red solo cup.

“Not exactly, no.” I took the last sip and crunched the metal can. “At least not like this.”

“What are they like?” He added as I got up to get myself another drink. “The royal family.”

I hunched down and pulled out another beer despite how horrible they tasted. “A bunch of pretentious assholes. Don’t give a shit about anything or anybody but themselves. Super spoilt. Fucking asswipes.”

Alex started coughing loudly as if he was choking on something. He was gasping for air, pounding his fist against his chest a few times to help him out. I knew what caused him to choke, but not what he had choked on. Either way, he was fine in no time.

“Nah, they’re fine.” I corrected myself casually while I also didn’t backtrack on everything I said. I really wasn’t the person to ask. How was I supposed to judge my own personality? I could say I was amazing, just to really be a shitty person.

We stayed in that room, drinking and talking, until they were called out to start their show. I got to know Jack a little bit more. He had one bizarre personality, but I still found him strangely attractive. Maybe it was just the way he carried himself. There was just one thing I couldn’t seem to figure out about him. I could not seem to figure out if he already was in a relationship or not. There was no mention of anybody, but there also was no mention of there being nobody. I just needed to know if I was misinterpreting this flirting between us or not. Was it a friendly teasing thing, or something more?

I watched their show from the side. With my status, you’d think I couldn’t have any new experiences anymore, that everything would have just been available to me. But that wasn’t the case. I had never seen a concert from behind the scenes before. I had never even been to a concert like this before I moved to New York. Everything else was always a private event, usually classical music.

At the concerts I went to in New York, I often didn’t know the band. My friends would just drag me along. Still, it was so easy to start dancing and screaming along. I wouldn’t even know the lyrics, and I’d be yelling words at the top of my lungs. It was the energy that always did it, all the people around me having the time of their lives.

I had never seen All Time Low play either. Honestly, I had never heard of them before I met Alex. But they were pretty good. The only thing was, I didn’t feel like I was getting a full experience standing there at the side. I was sure other people would have given their life to stand where I was standing, but I wanted nothing more than to join the crowd. It was difficult dancing by myself. I was sure to ask Alex to be let out next time, even if it meant really trying to convince him.

Speaking of which. Alex was still very surveilling. He’d occasionally look back at me. There was nothing for him to worry about. I wasn’t going to run away. I wasn’t going to make a fool of myself. And I had no duties to uphold. I actually wanted to be there. So far, this had been the most fun I had had in a while. All I could do was give him a thumbs up to show him that I was indeed enjoying myself.

When they came off stage just over an hour later, all four of them were drenched in sweat. It was worse than Gus-Gus playing tennis on a hot summer’s day. I thought he always looked disgusting, but this was a whole new level. There was literally sweat dripping down Jack’s nose.

It was as if he could sense how appalled I was. He came right up to me and wrapped a drenched arm around my shoulders.

“Gross!” I yelped, trying to get away from him, but failing. “You really need to take a shower.”

“Only if you join me,” he whispered back lowely.

“Maybe next time,” I laughed and pushed him off me.

Alex took his opportunity to butt in as he bounced up. “What d’ya think?”

“As good as the royal family,” I teased. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Alex’s POV:**

I stared down at the bottle in my hand, watching as I swirled the last of the liquid around in a circle. It had been one hell of a show with an amazing audience, probably one of our biggest yet, and now I was three bottles in, listening to the bad banter coming from the rest of my band.

Aerowyn had basically spent the evening necking beer, to the point where she was now laughing at the smallest of things. Whether that be a terrible joke from Jack, or, to the guys surprise, her own name, she hadn't stopped giggling from her third beer to now.

"So, it's time for a serious question," Jack stated, sitting up straight as he stared back at Aerowyn, inspecting each aspect of her face as she did. I didn't blame him, she was undeniably worth the time spent staring, but I still couldn't help but envy the attention he received in return.

"And what might that be?" She replied, giggling, again.

"Which song of the evening was your favourite?" Jack asked, the fact that he was vigorously drinking became more apparent with each word he spoke.

"I gotta admit, they were all pretty cool. Not exactly my style, but they're growing on me," she replied, exchanging a smile with Jack who just smirked.

"Does that mean we'll be seeing more of you at shows and tours?" Rian asked, slumping down onto the couch adjacent to the one I sat on. He and Zack had just returned to the conversation after restocking the alcohol supply for the rest of the evening. With the way Jack and Aerowyn were drinking, we needed it.

"Maybe? I'm not too sure, it just depends on how this next few weeks go," she stated. "I still have responsibilities back in Dalewin."

"You mean cleaning out horse shit," Zack added matter-of-factly. I chuckled softly, knowing just how oblivious these boys were.

"Indeed," Aerowyn replied with yet another giggle.

"You must be pretty good if they want you back so bad," Jack mumbled, swallowing the last of the liquid remaining in his bottle before grabbing another.

"Oh, trust me, she is," I laughed consciously and pushed myself up from the couch, grabbing the empty bottles as I did. I made my way over to the small, slowly-filling bin on the far side of the crowded area we called a kitchen. Dropping the empty bottles into the metal container, I gathered the handles of the plastic bag, lifting it from the bin as I tied it together. 

The bus was set to leave in less than half an hour, so I figured I should empty it whilst I could. Plus, I needed an escape from the shameless flirting happening between Jack and Aerowyn. As if Jack's bad jokes weren't austere enough, the thought of them being directed at Aerowyn was vexing.

"Okay, I'm going to get rid of this rubbish," I stated, making my way over to the bus door with the bag to hand.

"Wait!" Aerowyn called almost too enthusiastically, "I'm coming with."

I nodded, making my way into the slightly cooler but still warm air that made Miami, well, Miami. The stars were glowing intensely, decorating the dark mural of the night sky. It reminded me of Aerowyn's art. Patterns and colours, embellished onto a plain canvas to create something of beauty. I may have been skilled in the music department, but art was something else. Her skills were quite miraculous, actually.

We walked to the bins in silence, listening to the loud sounds of the city behind us. Miami was always busy, no matter what time it was. The sun had long since set, but that just meant it was the time for the night owls to blossom.

It wasn't until we were making our way back to the buses, that Aerowyn actually spoke.

"Hey, Alex, can I ask you something?" She asked, turning to face me. The moonlight shone down on her as she walked, enhancing her sky-blue eyes, though they were deeper, more… enchanting, than usual.

"Yeah, sure," I replied, watching as a small smile tugged at her lips and she turned back to the night sky.

"You and the guys don't happen to have a partner, do you?" She asked, though not daring to make eye contact again. I stared at her for a second, attempting to formulate the words.

"I mean, Rian is in a relationship, but the rest of us are single," I explained, "why do you ask?"

"I'm just... curious."

For a second I could have sworn I had butterflies, you know that cringy teenage reaction to a… to a crush. But the moment was cut short.

"Jack seems kinda nice, and I was just wondering if I was misreading the signs."

"He's a hopeless flirt," I replied before anything else could escape my lips. I turned my gaze to the sky, burying the new found aching in my chest.

"Yeah, I guess he is," she chuckled lightly, running off inside the bus where the guys were already well into their next drink.

"Here," Rian spoke, handing another bottle in my direction.

I shook my head softly, "I think I'm just going to get some sleep."

He raised an eyebrow curiously, but I shrugged it off and bee-lined for the bunks. 

I climbed into my bunk, pulling the curtain shut. My eyes reverted to the wooden slats that supported Zack's bed as I listened to the muffled slurs coming a mere six feet from where I laid. It was blatantly obvious that Jack and Aerowyn were flirting once more, but I refused to allow it to get to me. She was a work associate, that was all.

I closed my eyes, hoping to forgot about the pain. It wasn't the usual type, like a headache, or a stomache ache, but instead the type of pain that made you numb. Senselessly numb.

At least two hours of me denying the truth later, my eyes were beginning to droop. The alcohol was officially setting in, dismissing the thoughts and making way for sleep.

Well, that was until my curtain was rudely yanked open. I turned my head to the whisper of profanities, barely making out Jack's figure through the dark. Everyone else was asleep and had been for a while, so why he was awake was beyond me.

"Dude, I need to ask you something," Jack spoke, his voice quiet, yet bleak. I cringed at his words, already knowing what was coming next.

"Okay, what?" I muttered back, making the annoyance clear in my tone.

"It's been bugging me all night, I just need to know: is Matilde single?"

And here I was thinking Aerowyn was straightforward. I groaned inwardly, leaning back into my pillow as Aerowyn's words only a few hours before circled in my head.

"From what I know, yes, she is." I replied bitterly.

"Hey, dude, you don't have a thing for her, right? I don't wanna be approaching on your girl."

My girl.

"No, of course not, we work together, that's all."

"I've seen the way you look at her," I could almost make out him holding his hands up in defense. "I just had to check."

"Well there's your answer, now can I sleep?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," he pulled the curtain closed before disappearing off to his bunk again.

I rolled over in my bunk, turning my back to the curtain as I faced the wall. Only then did the aching in my chest return.

**NOTES**

Sorry about the update delay! Chapters should continue to be uploaded every two weeks from this point onwards. 

\- Scream.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I completely lost track of time!

**Winny's POV:**

"So, you're telling me you've never even heard of that movie?" Alex's eyes practically bulged out of his head, judging me to a full extent, as we entered through the hotel's sliding doors.

"Well, I'm sorry," I defended, putting my hands up slightly, "I actually had better stuff to do back in my teenage years. You know, like learning how to rule a country."

"Oh, okay, sure, show off," he shot back with a laugh.

I was about to respond when my eyes fell on somebody else. Right behind the reception was the hotel's bar. There were a few people scattered about on other tables, but there was a single person actually sitting at the bar and having a drink. I could immediately recognise his dark hair and body shape. Why he was all alone over there, I did not know. But there was a plan brewing in my head. We had one short night in this hotel, and I would be damned if I didn't take the chance and meet up with Jack.

Alex and I went straight to the elevator. He didn't even seem to notice Jack. I didn't really mind, though, it only meant that I could carry out my plan without the thought of Alex knowing in the back of my mind. We left the elevator when it got to the right floor and started walking down the hallway to our rooms. Coincidentally, mine was the closest one.

"So..." I whistled as we got to my room, pulling out my keycard and putting my hand on the door handle.

"Yeah..." he nodded back, his own hands in his back pockets. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"Definitely. I'm still so grateful that you offered to take me and convinced everybody else to let me go," I thanked him.

"It was necessary," he countered, brushing off my graciousness.

"Well, I'll be going to bed then," I said, hoping to hurry this along a little bit. I didn't want to come downstairs just for Jack to have disappeared.

"We don't have to cut the evening off here," Alex offered, crossing his arms over his chest. "We could go back to my room and watch a movie."

I tried to soften the way I declined. "I don't know..."

"I'll even let you choose the movie," he tried to convince me.

"I'm actually really tired." I made up an excuse.

"I don't mind if you fall asleep in my room."

"Really, I think I'd much rather go to bed now. Sleep in a proper bed for a night, you know, not surrounded by boys." It was a complete lie of what I actually wanted to do. Alex's face dropped, however, and I didn't want to upset him. "But we can definitely watch one back on the bus at some point."

"Are you sure?" He tried one last time. "It's a once in a lifetime offer."

"Next time," I insisted.

"Okay, then. But I'll still see you tomorrow morning, right?"

"That's why you should let me get some sleep now."

"Alright, goodnight then, Winny," he smiled.

"Goodnight, Alex," I waved back as he walked down the hallway to his room still looking back at me.

As soon as he turned around, I rushed into my bedroom. Although I never had made any particular effort around Jack before, I definitely was going to put a bit more into it this time. I threw off the gray graphic tee I had been wearing, but kept on the ripped jean shorts. To make it even easier, I quickly snapped off my bra and started scouring through the clothes in my bag. Eventually, I pulled out a loose black tank top that tied together at the front, exposing my midriff. Technically, it was still too cold for that, and I usually would never wear it without a little support, but I decided to go against all of that tonight and put it on anyway.

Once I left my room, I double checked to see if anybody I knew was in the hallway. When I was sure that it was completely empty, I jogged up to the elevator and spammed the button. It had been quite a while since I saw Jack down there, I didn't want to miss him. Luckily for me, he was still sitting on the same barstool. I shook out my hair a little and walked up, sliding in the chair next to him.

"Oh, hi!" He grinned when he saw it was me, his gaze briefly lingering down before rapidly breaking away.

I propped my elbow on the bar and leaned softly against my hand. "What are you doing here, drinking all by yourself?"

"You and Alex were out for dinner, Zack's at the gym, Rian's gone to bed to call his girlfriend. I was hoping somebody would like to join me here, but this place is full of dudes." He looked around the room, as did I. It literally was just small groups of men, and if there was a woman, they were obviously there with a significant other.

"I'm not a guy," I smirked.

He looked pretty pleased. "I know."

The bartender came up to me and asked what I wanted. I ordered a double whiskey. Something about who I was and the legal age of drinking being lower in Dalewin left me with quite the acquired taste for some alcohol. My grandpa always used to drink whiskey in his library, it was only natural that I inherited that. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy my cheap vodka on nights out in New York, but this was different. And it seemed to impress Jack, which was a huge plus.

"You know, something doesn't sit right with me," Jack spoke up, still eyeing me sensually. "How have you not been swooned by Alex yet?"

"First of all," I held up one finger, "I work with him, it's weird. Second of all," I held up another, "I can't say he didn't try in the very beginning, but I choose who I sleep with, not some guy."

"Ah." He nodded in understanding, taking a sip of his own drink. "So, what does a guy have to do to convince you."

"It's not so much a matter of convincing rather than first impressions."

"Did I make a good first impression?"

"Hmm..." I faked that I was thinking deeply. "You definitely made an impression."

"And there's nothing I can do to change your mind?" He continued to look at me with a smirk.

"You don't have to change my mind," I simpered back, bringing my glass to my lips and taking a sip.

It wasn't long until Jack and I were on our way back up to our floor. We went straight to his room, running past both mine and Alex's. As soon as we entered and the door closed behind us, I pulled Jack close to me until I was leaning against the wall. His breath hit my face as he looked down at me, investigating the distance between my eyes and my lips.

I waited for him to make the next move, but was too impatient. My hands were already on the back of his neck. All I had to do was move my arms a little closer and he moved along. When our lips were almost grazing, our oxygen being shared I realised exactly what he was doing. His expectant eyes were waiting to see just how far I'd take it. But two could play that game. I returned the favour of teasing, going in and almost making contact, just to fall back the tiniest bit. It didn't take long to turn him insane. He finally went for it, and he didn't hold back. His hands were pulling me closer by the waist while his lips pushed in the other direction. The stubble on his chin and jaw scratched roughly at my skin, but I didn't mind one bit.

It was only seconds later when he started tugging at the tanktop I had only put on thirty minutes before. He moved away just a slither and I raised my arms to let him take the fabric off my body. It was barely covering anything in the first place, but Jack still seemed to get excited at the new sight. He looked down briefly before connecting his lips to the side of my neck, touching my chest in ways I had been dreaming of for a while now.

Everything was so fast-paced and lustful. It hadn't even been a minute and Jack already started fondling with the button of my shorts. Before it was over too quickly, I stopped him, moving his hands back up to my waist. While it could have been taken as a rejection, I quickly interjected with my own want for less clothes. I gave a hard tug on his t-shirt, motioning that I thought it was very unfair. Jack understood the sign, breaking away to practically rip his shirt off.

Immediately after, we were kissing again. It felt nice finally being able to touch him without clothes there to be in the way. Jack must have felt the same way, he was slowly, subconsciously or not, leading us further away from the door. My back was still pressed up against the wall every step of the way up until the back of my legs hit the cold edge of the desk. That's when I decided to pull off my shorts, kicking them off, and getting to work on Jack's jeans.

But I didn't get to finish. Suddenly, he had his hands on the back of my thighs and had lifted me up on the desk. He was sucking on my neck when his fingers hooked onto my panties and shuffled them down my legs. One second he was there, taking care of my top half, the next he had dropped down and his head was between my legs. An unforeseen thrill ran through my entire body when his lips made contact with me.

–––––

I laid next to Jack, taking a second to let my heart calm down. His arm was underneath my head as we both stared up at the ceiling taking everything that had just happened. My mind was blank and racing at the same time. It was like I was supposed to be overthinking things and regretting it, but I really wasn't. Everything was just powered by the extreme high I just came down from.

I probably just laid there, doing nothing for quite a long time. But Jack was doing the same exact thing. Eventually, I sat up and looked around at the room, trying to spot where all my clothes were. My shirt was just a few feet away from the door, my panties at the desk, and my shorts at the foot of the bed. I got up and started to put everything on again.

"Leaving so soon?" Jack turned on his side to watch me.

"I'll fall asleep if I stay any longer," I chuckled and shuffled on my shorts, buttoning it up.

"That isn't all so bad." He propped himself up on his elbow, not even caring that literally everything was still on display.

I picked up my shirt and pulled it over my head. "Yeah, but Alex will be knocking at my door at eight, it's going to take a lot of explaining if I'm not there... especially after I blew him off and said I was going to bed."

"Hmm." He nodded, his eyes still on me. "You and Alex... you don't have a thing, right?"

"No," I shook my head and put my hair up in a ponytail, "why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I asked him as well, just checking."

"He's just one of the only people I can bear to work with. We've become friends over time as well."

"Is it that bad?" He laughed, rolling over onto his stomach now.

"It actually isn't that bad," I admitted. Afterall, it literally was my life. "Anyway, speaking of things..." I gestured between me and him.

He sucked in a sharp breath. "Right..."

"I'm going to be honest, I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

"Thank god, me too." He brushed his fingers through his hair.

"Although, this doesn't have to be a one time thing if we can keep it under wraps."

"I wouldn't be against that." He wiggled his eyebrows. "But I can't promise the setting of a nice hotel bed."

"I don't need one." I winked and finally left his room to go back to mine. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Alex’s POV:**

"Espresso for the princess," I stated with a buoyant grin, handing a to-go cup in Aerowyn's direction before taking a sip of my own.

"Well aren't you chipper this morning," she giggled, beaming back at me. 

It had become something of a routine since our 6am encounter back in Dalewin that Aerowyn and I met up each morning for a walk, which is how I found myself wandering the city of Atlanta before the sun had even risen.

"I found something back in the department store," I explained rather enigmatically. 

Aerowyn raised an eyebrow slightly, narrowing her eyes as she stared back at me quizzically. I smirked, taking a seat on the nearest bench as I awaited the sunrise. We had found a valley not far from the city centre where we were playing, so we figured we'd take the hike and see the city in all its glory.

"Hey, you can't just leave me questioning," Aerowyn spoke, taking a seat beside me. "What did you find?"

I turned to look at her, feigning to think it through like it was some life altering decision. I mean, it definitely was, I was about to change Aerowyn's life as well as the future of her entire kingdom.

"Okay, okay, do you remember our dinner date back in Jacksonville?"

"Yes.." She replied, nodding slowly.

I grinned, pulling the thin, packaged box from my bag. Toy Story. The single best comical adventure movie of all time, a movie of which Aerowyn has yet to see. It was actually ludicrous that she hadn’t watched such a classic.

"You didn't!" She exclaimed, snatching the DVD from my hands.

"Oh, I did."

She nudged me in the arm playfully, smiling briefly at me before returning to inspecting the case. I watched patiently, admiring the way she examined the movie as though checking to see as if it was worthy of the two hours spent watching. The smile against her lips told me she thought so.

"I figured we could watch it tonight," her eyebrows arched as I spoke, "but only if you want to."

"Only if you make me a deal."

"Okay..." I replied skeptically.

"Once we are back in Dalewin, we watch a movie of my choice." She added, staring back at me expectantly.

"Deal," I accepted, holding my hand out to shake on it. She took it, shaking fervently before turning to face the sunrise.

The array of oranges and pinks all merged together as the sun began to rise in the distance. I took a sip of my coffee, taking in the views I had so irresponsibly missed over the last years of touring. I had hit almost every state throughout America, and not once woke up early enough to see the sunrise. I guess you could say Aerowyn was having a good influence on me.

Within half an hour, we were making our way back down the valley and into the city. Like usual, I followed behind whilst Aerowyn skipped off, snapping pictures of anything and everything. It usually consisted of buildings and street signs, but occasionally she would spontaneously turn around and demand a picture of me. Soon enough I was determined to get back at her and take some pictures of my own, plus, she owed it to me from way back when we had our second encounter. I'd get revenge eventually.

After half an hour of promenading around the city, avoiding the early morning rush as we did, we finally made it back to the arena where we were playing tonight's show. The guys were still asleep, as expected after their long night in the city, so Winny and I found our way to the grass verge just above the parking lot.

"So, have you decided which movie we'll be watching back in Dalewin?" I asked, slumping down beside Aerowyn who had already taken a seat on the grass.

"I have," she stated rather matter-of-factly, "but that's for me to know and you to find out."

"Well if it isn't the Princess of Dalewin, toying with a common boy," I mocked with a smirk.

"Oh, don't you know? He's the lead singer of a world famous band," she retorted, emphasising the last part. I rolled my eyes, to which she giggled playfully. Lighthearted taunting seemed to be our thing now, so not a conversation went by without some sort of mocking.

We sat on the grass for a little longer before retreating to the bus in time for the guys to be waking up. From that point onwards I was back and forth between the bus and the venue. The rest of the morning was spent in sound check, and then there was rehearsal with meet and greet ensuing. Before long we were on stage, playing our set. It wasn't until after all that that I actually had the chance to sit down, only to be immediately pulled away by Aerowyn. 

"Wait, where are we going?" I asked, watching as she dragged me along without another word. She had just randomly showed up after disappearing during Blink-182's set, and now she wasn't saying a word. "Winny," I added to which she stopped and turned to face me.

"How many times do I have to tell you to live a little, Gaskarth?" She asked, tilting her head to the left slightly.

"How many times do I have to ask you where we are going?" I retorted; she sighed, tugging my hand a final time until the sight behind the wall was in view.

"I had a few hours on my hand, and I've always wanted a movie night in the moonlight, so why not?" She stated whilst I continued to gape at her work. There was a plaid blanket laid on the ground with a small box placed in the middle, projecting the front cover of Toy Story on the screen.

"Isn't it supposed to be the guy who sets up the magical setting to wow the girl?" I asked, turning back to Aerowyn who was merely watching me with a smile.

"I guess you can say it's a thank you for bringing me with you," she added, nodding to the blanket as she made her own way to sit down. I followed suit, taking a seat beside her. The movie was soon started and we sat, watching it together. Well, I wasn’t exactly watching it the way you’d think. I spent most of the movie turning my gaze to Aerowyn to watch her reactions. She was in a constant state of either awe or anguish. I didn’t blame her--Toy Story does that to people.

Within an hour and a half, the final scene came to an end and Aerowyn turned to me, her face, frankly, astounded. I couldn’t quite pinpoint whether it was a bad kind of astounded, or a good, but by the smile tugging at her pink lips, I was left to assume the latter.

“That was an emotional rollercoaster,” she stated, turning the projector off before leaning back on her elbows. 

“It gets worse,” I replied, to which she raised an eyebrow, “there’s another two movies.”

“No!” She yelled, grabbing my arm as she stared at me, bewildered. I nodded and she shook her head judiciously.

"You have to see the other two now. It's, like, the law." I replied, my lips curling into a smirk.

"Way to be numbskull, Gaskarth," she bit back, feigning annoyance.

"A numbskull?" I snickered, judging her choice of insult.

"It's a politer way of saying you're an ass," she stated with a nod.

"I, an ass?" I asked, tilting my head to the side though still laughing at her insinuation.

"Yes," she started, almost glaring at me, "you're a real ass Alex Gaskarth."

"Oh, I do try," I winked, to which she allowed a small smile to graze her lips. No matter how much I annoyed her on a daily basis, I was, and remained to be, one of her favourite 'co-workers'; that much was apparent. She wouldn't be here on tour, otherwise. 

"We should probably head back to the bus," Aerowyn spoke up, pushing herself up from the blanket as she picked up the projector. I nodded and followed in suit, collecting both the blanket and the sheet we had watched the movie on before followed Aerowyn back to the bus lot.

By the time we got back, the boys were already well passed tipsy, and verging drunk. Aerowyn and I joined for a few hours, but just after midnight we were all climbing into our bunks, ready to call it a night. The late nights were a pretty endless series on tour, but the occasional earlier night was needed.

I pulled my duvet over my body, resting my head against my arm as my eyes wandered to the bunk opposite me. I stared back at the familiar blue eyes, realising Aerowyn was already staring back at me.

She shot a small smile in my direction, which I returned before closing my eyes. Before I knew it I was asleep, the excitement bubbling inside me as I awaited my eight am walk that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHOY NEW CHAPTERS ;)


	15. Chapter 15

**Winny’s POV:**

I stared at Alex for a while. His eyes were shut and he looked asleep, I just needed to be sure that he actually was. When he didn’t even twitch after a few more minutes, I carefully slipped out of my bunk. As soon as I was standing on the floor, I checked up on Alex again, gladly seeing that he still hadn’t moved. I tiptoed over and gently closed the curtain so he could no longer be distrubed by anything that happened in the corridor.

I turned around and went to the next bottom bunk, squatting down so I was face to face with its curtain. As I learned to do, I softly knocked on the plastic board to get the attention of whoever was on the other side. However, I got no response. I rolled my eyes a little and knocked again, a bit louder, but still trying my best not to wake up anybody else around.

When I still didn’t get a response, I sighed and just yanked open the curtain a little. Jack stared back at me like a deer caught in headlights. The only light illuminating his face was coming from his laptop and he was wearing huge headphones. I raised an eyebrow at him, still waiting to get some kind of reaction. When his initial shock wore off, he moved his headphones to free one ear to listen to me.

“Everybody’s asleep!” I whispered.

He didn’t make a sound when he put away his laptop and headphones, only to poke his head out of the bunk and look left and right to see if I was correct. When he saw that I was indeed not lying, he pulled me into his bunk. I was immediately straddling him and I quickly closed the curtain before anybody would wake up and walk past.

“Come here,” he groaned and pulled me down to start a fiery kiss, immediately already tugging at my shirt.

We did our best to be as silent as possible. However, it was inevitable that occasionally a limb or another body part smacked into a wall. That bunk was barely big enough for two people to squish in, let alone to people to get it on. We managed to make it work. And it seemed like nobody had noticed anything. Or at least nobody said anything or gave us any weird looks. Not even Alex seemed to suspect a thing. He just showed up excitedly for our morning walks every day, always expecting me in my bunk.

I couldn’t believe I was saying it, but it was quite a difficult and tiring secret to keep up. Staying up late with Jack just to have to leave before I fell asleep only to have to wake up early-ish in the morning for Alex? Exhausting.

But I was having fun. I was still forever grateful that Alex had made the decision to let me come with him. Even if I was alone for a little while. There were no pressures on me here. I got to do anything I wanted. Rather than jobs being piled on jobs, I now had to actively seek if I could help out anywhere. It was absolutely magnificent.

I was wandering around the backstage area of the arena for the night while world famous rock stars All Time Low were busy doing a whole list of different interviews. You’d be surprised how many interesting things you can find in the deep dark crevices of arenas. Or they were just plain boring. There really wasn’t much of an in between.

I was walking through a hallway and past one of the dressing rooms when my name was called out. “Aerowyn!”

Without thinking twice, I turned around and entered the room, looking up to see Mark Hoppus staring right back at me. It seemed like I had just randomly and rudely walked in. “I’m sorry, I thought I heard my name.”

“Aerowyn,” he repeated.

I shook my head, realising just how big my mistake had been. I tried to act oblivious, like he was saying a word that I didn’t know. “I’m sorry, what?

“You might have been able to fool the others, but you can’t fool me,” he laughed lightly and warmly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I continued to try and play it off.

If my identity came out, things could go horribly wrong. Maybe not necessarily in the circle of the bands on tour. But it was bound to get out. And if my behaviour or drinking and casually sleeping with Jack came out, it would be a scandal. They were pretty chill in Dalewin, but that didn’t mean everything was suddenly acceptable.

“Oh, come on, I’m not an idiot!” Mark rebutted. “A quick google search into Dalewin was all I needed. I hear about a country I never knew existed, I take time to learn about it.”

He pulled out his phone from his back pocket and tapped a few times on the screen before handing it to me. I looked down at it in my hands and saw a photo of ‘The Royal Family of The Kingdom of Dalewin’. It was a relatively old picture. I was about 16 and looked a lot younger. It was taken for my grandfather’s birthday that year. There was also a picture of the entire family, but this one was just my grandpa, my parents, Gus-Gus, and me. I was wearing some light pink dress that I could still remember to this day. My mom had refused to let me wear it, but my grandpa somehow managed to change her mind. Everybody else was wearing much more sophisticated colours.

I shrugged and went to give the phone back. “I look a bit like her, but that isn’t me.”

“Swipe to the next photo.”

I did as instructed and went to the next photo he had prepared for me. It was one of the photos taken for my dad’s coronation. Specifically one that consisted of just me and Augustus. I couldn’t even try to hide behind the fact that it just looked like me. This was a close up of us. Even the birthmark on my neck was visible.

“Okay…” I nodded. I couldn’t deny it anymore. “That is me.”

“Pretty foolproof cover,” he chuckled as I defeatedly handed his phone back.

“Well, usually it works better when I’m just Matilde George from New York with a funny accent, not Matilde from Dalewin.”

“So hiding your identity is a common occurrence, then?”

“Only when I’m in New York,” I explained and looked behind me when I heard footsteps, but it was just somebody walking past. “It makes studying there just a little easier. Nobody constantly reporting on my every move, or hoping to blackmail me.”

“You seem pretty serious about keeping it a secret.” He frowned, also briefly glancing at the door.

“If Alex were to know that you knew, he’d start forcing me to act normal again.” I sighed and tugged on my hair. “I was hoping to get away from that.”

“Normal?” He raised an eyebrow at me in amusement. “You mean to tell me you don’t usually chug beer after beer?”

“Art student Matilde does, Princess Aerowyn does not.”

“I’m assuming Aerowyn also can’t have that thing going on with Jack and Alex.”

“Thing going on?” I questioned with confusion.

“Don’t act oblivious again.”

“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about,” I laughed awkwardly.

I didn’t consider whatever I was doing with Jack a ‘thing’. A ‘thing’ sounded way more serious. Jack and I were only having sex when it suited us, nothing else. And Alex? There definitely wasn’t anything going on there. He was one of the only good friends I had made as Aerowyn in ages. All my friends back in New York loved fun Matilde, not responsible Aerowyn.

“Alright… if you say so.” Mark gave me a very suspicious look.

Before I could assure him there was really nothing going on, Alex came rushing into the room.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over the place for you!!” He exclaimed in relief, coming up behind me.

I looked at Mark with a hint of fear. He had the power in his hands. With just a word, he could ruin it all. Usually, my fate didn’t depend on one person so much. I was very used to having at least a little control. People did help me make choices, and I often did follow them, but I did always have the last word. Unless it was towards my parents or higher ranking royals, of course.

“Matilde and I were just discussing gardening tips with each other,” Mark quickly made up.

“Gardening tips?” Alex looked as puzzled as I tried to be earlier.

“Yep, you know, since she works with horses and stuff…”

“Ah! Right, yes.” He nodded in understanding before directing his next part to me. “I was going to go out for coffee and you’re coming with me!”

“I’m coming with you?” I challenged.

“Yeah, live a little,” he scoffed and pulled on my arm to drag me out of the room.

I made eye contact with Mark one more time and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him. He responded with a wink and a smile as Alex continued to force me to join him. 


End file.
